A percentage is a way to express a number as a fraction of 100. It helps us understand how much of something there is compared to a whole. For example, if you have 25 out of 100 apples, you can say you have 25% of the apples. This makes it easier to compare different quantities, like how much of a pizza is eaten or how many students passed a test. Percentages are commonly used in everyday life, such as in shopping discounts or calculating grades. If a store offers a 20% discount on a shirt that costs $50, you can find the discount amount by calculating 20% of 50, which is $10. This means you would pay $40 for the shirt.