What percentage is equivalent to the fraction 1/2?

Introduction / Context:
Converting a fraction to a percentage is a fundamental skill in mathematics. Fractions, decimals and percentages are different ways of expressing the same part-whole relationships. The fraction 1/2 is one of the most common fractions, and knowing its percentage form is useful in many everyday situations, including discounts, scores and probability problems.

Given Data / Assumptions:

We are given the fraction 1 / 2.
We need to express 1 / 2 as a percentage.
All calculations use the standard relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages.

Concept / Approach:
To convert a fraction into a percentage, we first convert the fraction to a decimal by performing the division, and then multiply the result by 100 to obtain the equivalent percent. In general:
percentage = (fraction value) * 100 For 1/2, this approach is very direct because 1 divided by 2 is a well known decimal.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Convert 1 / 2 to decimal form. 1 / 2 = 0.5. Step 2: Convert the decimal 0.5 into a percentage. Percentage = 0.5 * 100. Step 3: Multiply 0.5 by 100. 0.5 * 100 = 50. Step 4: Attach the percent symbol. So 1 / 2 = 50%.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can also think conceptually. The fraction 1 / 2 represents half of a whole. Half of 100% is 50%, so 1 / 2 must correspond to 50%. Another check is to convert the percentage back to a fraction: 50% = 50 / 100. Simplifying 50 / 100 by dividing numerator and denominator by 50 gives 1 / 2, which matches the original fraction.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
5% corresponds to 5 / 100 = 1 / 20, a much smaller fraction than 1 / 2.
0.5% is 0.5 / 100 = 1 / 200, which is even smaller.
0.05% is 0.05 / 100 = 1 / 2000, extremely small compared to 1 / 2.
25% equals 25 / 100 = 1 / 4, which is half of the required fraction.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse 0.5 with 0.5%, forgetting that a percent already includes division by 100. Others may incorrectly divide 2 by 1 instead of 1 by 2 when converting to decimal, which reverses the fraction. It is also possible to mistakenly multiply 1/2 directly by 100 without first interpreting the fraction as 0.5, though in this particular case that still gives 50, but this habit may cause errors in more complex fractions. Keeping the general rule clear helps avoid such confusion.

Final Answer:
The fraction 1/2 is equivalent to 50%.