An atchitect is working on a design for a solar power plant. While double-checking the blueprint, he realizes that he has made an error: The solar panels will not fit on the roof unless the dimensions of the roof are increased by 0.5%. Which of the following expresses this change in the dimensions of the roof as a fraction of the original dimensions?

Options

A. `(1)/(2,000)`
B. `(1)/(200)`
C. `(1)/(20)`
D. `(1)/(2)`

Answer

B

Explanation

Difficult: Easy
Category: Problem Solving and Data Analysis/ Rates, Ratios, Proportions, and Percentages
Strategic Advice: Don't let yourselt get overwhelmed by long problems. Focus on the question that is being posed.
Getting to the Answer: Reword the question in your head: 0.5% is what fraction of the original dimensions? In other words, this question is simply asking you to convert 0.5% to a fraction. (Don't answer too quickly, though: `(1)/(2)` is 0.5, not 0.5% as D is not correct). Recall that "percent" means per hundred, which translates to divide by 100. Therefore, 0.5%=0.5/100=`(1)/(2)times(1)/(100)=(1)/(200)`. The answer is (B).