2 is what percentage of 50?

Introduction / Context:
This is a simple percentage question that asks you to express one number as a percentage of another. Such problems are foundational in percentage arithmetic and form the basis for more complex comparisons, growth rates, and ratio interpretations in quantitative exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The part value is 2.
• The base or whole value is 50.
• We must find what percent 2 is of 50.
• Percent means per hundred, so we compare by scaling the fraction to a denominator of 100.

Concept / Approach:
To find what percentage one number is of another, we use the formula: Percentage = (part / whole) * 100. Here, the part is 2 and the whole is 50. We compute the fraction 2 / 50 and then multiply by 100 to express it as a percentage. This process reinforces the meaning of percentages as normalized fractions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the required percentage as (part / whole) * 100. Step 2: Substitute the values: (2 / 50) * 100. Step 3: Simplify the fraction 2 / 50 = 1 / 25. Step 4: Compute (1 / 25) * 100. Step 5: 100 / 25 = 4. Step 6: Therefore, 2 is 4% of 50.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can also reverse check by taking 4% of 50 and seeing whether we get 2. Compute 4% of 50: (4 / 100) * 50 = 2. Since this returns the original part value, our percentage calculation is confirmed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
2%: 2% of 50 is 1, not 2.
2.5%: 2.5% of 50 is 1.25, not 2.
3%: 3% of 50 is 1.5, which is still less than 2.
5%: 5% of 50 is 2.5, which is greater than 2.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to divide 50 by 2 instead of 2 by 50, which yields 25 and then mistakenly interpreting this as 25%. Remember that the numerator should be the part and the denominator the whole. Another error is forgetting to multiply by 100 at the end and leaving the answer as a decimal fraction only.

Final Answer:
2 is 4% of 50.