Final answer:
3% of a quantity translates to 3/100 when expressed as a fraction, representing three parts out of a hundred parts of a whole.
Step-by-step explanation:
To understand what 3% of a quantity is in terms of a fraction, it's important to recall that percent means 'per hundred'. Therefore, when we see 3%, it can be translated to 3 per 100, or 3/100 of the quantity. So, if you imagine that you have a pie divided into 100 equal slices, 3% of that pie would consist of taking just three slices.
This concept is similar to how we evaluate fractions and percentages in everyday life, as in the example of figuring out how many quarters are in a dollar or envisioning slices of pie in fractional terms. When we represent 3% numerically as a fraction, we write it as 3/100. This means that for every 100 parts of a whole, 3 parts are being considered, which is precisely what the percentage represents.
So, 3% of a quantity is equal to A) 3/100 of the quantity. This is a simple but crucial aspect of converting percentages to fractions, which is an essential skill in mathematics, and in numerous practical and academic scenarios.