12/400 = 3%
A value like 12/400, or 3%, can show up in everyday situations such as a store discount, a small chance of rain, or the portion of defective items in a large shipment. For example, a company might find that about 3 out of every 100 products need to be checked again.
To picture 3% quickly, imagine a group of 100 people with only 3 people highlighted. You can also think of it as a small slice—noticeable, but much less than a tenth of the whole.
A common mistake is to treat 3% as if it means 3 out of every 10 instead of 3 out of every 100. It can also be confused with 0.3, even though 3% represents a much smaller amount.
