eli5 The percentage rule

Question

Can someone explain how/why X% of Y is equal to Y% of X? I know it’s true but I can’t figure out why. Thanks!

In: 10

Answer 1

% just means “divided by 100”

so “x% of Y” is equivalent to `X / 100 * Y` Because multiplication and division are transitive, we can rearrange to `X * Y / 100` and since % means “divided by 100”, then we can say “Y% of X”.

Answer 2

% just means “divided by 100”

so “x% of Y” is equivalent to `X / 100 * Y` Because multiplication and division are transitive, we can rearrange to `X * Y / 100` and since % means “divided by 100”, then we can say “Y% of X”.