But if someone doesn't understand that % means parts of a whole hundred, it's still their problem. Sure, it could be worded into "If I were to take part of the number 100 so that the amount I take is proportional to the equation of taking 15 out of every 100 (that is, 15/100 or 0.15 if it is scaled down so 100 is equivalent to 1), how much have I taken?" However, writing it like that is a lot more cumbersome than saying "What is 15% of 100?" It's also a lot more confusing. In fact, mathematics while conceptual in nature (the idea behind addition for example is taking two things and putting them together) is still so symbolic you can't ignore the symbolic side of it (addition is symbolized as +, multiplication as *, percentages as %, and so on). To say that the applicants for the job might have not understood what the % symbol represented but could still be good at math (ie. pass the test) if they knew what it represented is analogous to a first time driver getting in the car without help, failing the driving test, and then saying that he or she may be good at driving but just didn't know what all the pedals and switches did. While it's true (the person may turn out to be a good driver once he/she learns what P, D, N, etc. mean and the job applicant may turn out to solve that question easily if he or she could associate % with "parts of one hundred"), the fact of the matter is that the driver didn't really know how to drive and is currently bad at driving with only the potential and the applicant doesn't really know mathematics and only has the potential to be able to do it.
Whether the problem is that the educational system failed to associate the concept with the symbol for the student or the that student failed to take the symbol taught and link it to the concept (I tend toward the latter, as while a little more help from the educational system wouldn't hurt it's still the student who should be the driving force in their learning), I don't know. However, the fact that those people were taking 100/15 as the answer shows that they knew % meant something to do with division (division = taking a part of something) makes me think that they were introduced to the concept properly in school but failed to internalize it. Which is why I say it's their problem and not the communication. =P
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