Assume that I have the math skills of a gopher, please.
Ok, follow me now.
If most of the world fits into 85 % of a condition…
Then there remains 15 %. Divide that up again, and say most of that 15 % fits into 85% of another condition.
How would you quickly refer to that remaining 15 %?
0.15*0.15=0.0225, or roughly 2% of the population. (assuming I understand what you’re getting at)
I don’t know if there’s an actual term for this second-level percentage, but the math is straightforward enough.
Leftovers.
Next?
Neatly said, and right. Perhaps, Anaamika, one way to escape the prison that percentages seem to have us in, is to realize that the main reason they’re used is that fractions converted to hundredths and expressed as parts of 100 make it easier (notice I’m not saying easy) to compare things that come from groups of significantly different sizes.
Example: 50% of 1000 whatevers is 500; 50% of 12 things is 6, and 50% of 492 things is 246. For the ease of comparison, the 500, 6, and 492 can be referred to as 50% of their respective populations.
Often it can help, when faced with a bunch of impressive-sounding percentages, to determine (by looking at the population in question) how many actual things are being discussed.
Saying that 75% of my group prefer rotten eggs sounds weird, until you find that the population is only 4 people, which is vastly less than the 33% group in a population of 60 people.
In short, do as Noone Special has done and look at the actual fractions, and do the (relatively simple) math on them.
You’re right, of course, Zeldar. I should have just done the math, but it kept throwing me off the way it was explained.
Thank you very much Noone Special!
Anaamika
Here’s a short tutorial on percentages plus a percentage calculator:
http://www.1728.com/percent.htm