The fraction 18/42 is equal to 42.86% when converted to a percentage. This means that if you had 42 items and selected 18 of them, you'd have chosen about 43% of the total. It's a bit less than half, but more than a third of the whole amount.
In everyday life, you might come across this fraction in various situations. For example, if 18 out of 42 students in a class wore glasses, you could say that 42.86% of the class wears glasses. Or if you completed 18 out of 42 tasks on your to-do list, you'd have finished about 43% of your work. Understanding percentages like this can help you quickly grasp proportions and make comparisons in many different contexts.