Final answer:
Approximately 12.64% of the 435 students like the color purple best, calculated using the basic percentage formula.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find what percentage of the 435 students like the color purple the best, you would use the formula for percentage, which is:
(number of students who like the color purple ÷ total number of students) × 100%
Substituting the given numbers into the formula, we get:
(55 ÷ 435) × 100% = 12.64%
Therefore, approximately 12.64% of the students like the color purple the best.