Final answer:
120 written as a percent is 12000%, which represents 120 times a whole amount. However, in common situations where a part of a total is calculated as a percent, the correct percent would be determined based on the context, typically using the formula part/whole times 100.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find what 120 is as a percent, we need to convert it to a fraction where the denominator is 100. It's already over 1 (since 120 equals 120/1), so to convert it to something out of 100, we simply multiply by 100 to get the equivalent percent.
This is how it works: 120/1 * (100/1) = 120 * 100/1 = 12000%. However, this might be an error unless you indeed mean 120 times the whole or base amount. Typically, when converting numbers that represent whole amounts to percentages, you're looking for a part of a whole and hence would divide by the base or total to find the corresponding percent. It's important to note down the context to ensure accurate conversion.
In most contexts, we see numbers represented as percentages of another number, such as percentage composition in chemistry or calculating a percent change in mathematics. The formula used is usually the part divided by the whole, multiplied by 100.
For instance, if you scored 120 points on a test that was out of 150, your percent score would be (120/150) * 100 = 80%. If 120 is the whole amount and you want to express a part of it as a percent, you need to divide that part by 120 and then multiply by 100.