Final answer:
The percent sign (%) in a search pattern is a wildcard character in SQL queries, used to match any sequence of characters.
Step-by-step explanation:
A percent sign (%) in a search pattern is used to indicate zero, one, or more characters in a position. This symbol is commonly associated with SQL queries, where it functions as a wildcard character. For example, a search in a database using '%apple%' as the pattern would return all records that include the word 'apple' anywhere in the specified field. It's important to note that this use of the percent sign is distinct from its use in expressing a fraction of 100 in areas such as mathematics and statistics.