The number 3 is what percent of 5?

Introduction / Context:
This is a simple percentage comparison problem. We are asked to find what percent one number (3) is of another number (5). Understanding this basic conversion helps in many areas such as ratio comparison, test scores, and everyday percentage calculations like discount and success rates.

Given Data / Assumptions:

Part (numerator) = 3.
Whole (denominator) = 5.
We need 3 as a percentage of 5.
We use the standard percent formula without any approximations because the numbers are small and exact.

Concept / Approach:
To find what percent a number is of another, we use the formula:
percentage = (part / whole) * 100 Here, the part is 3 and the whole is 5. We first compute the fraction 3 / 5 and then multiply by 100 to obtain the percentage. Since 3 and 5 are small, the fraction and percentage are straightforward.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Form the fraction of part to whole: 3 / 5. Step 2: Convert this fraction to percentage using the formula. percentage = (3 / 5) * 100. Step 3: Compute 3 / 5. 3 / 5 = 0.6. Step 4: Multiply 0.6 by 100. 0.6 * 100 = 60. Step 5: Attach the percent symbol. So 3 is 60% of 5.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can also think in reverse. If 60% of 5 is computed, does it give 3? Calculate (60 / 100) * 5 = 0.6 * 5 = 3. This matches the original part, confirming that 60% is the correct percentage. Another way is to see that 50% of 5 is 2.5 and an extra 10% of 5 is 0.5, giving 3 in total, which corresponds to 60%.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
45% of 5 is (45 / 100) * 5 = 2.25, which is less than 3.
72% of 5 equals 3.6, which is more than 3.
80% of 5 equals 4, also more than 3.
55% of 5 equals 2.75, still less than 3.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to invert the fraction and compute 5 / 3 instead of 3 / 5, which gives a value greater than 1 and leads to a percentage above 100%. Another error is to forget to multiply by 100 after computing the fraction. Some learners may also round too early when dealing with more complicated fractions, but in this simple case 3 / 5 is exactly 0.6, so rounding is not necessary. Keeping the formula clear and applying it in the correct order avoids these issues.

Final Answer:
The number 3 is 60% of 5.