1. The problem is to understand what 42% means and how to express it as a decimal and a fraction. 2. The percent symbol (%) means "per hundred," so 42% means 42 out of 100. 3. To convert a percent to a decimal, divide by 100: $$42\% = \frac{42}{100} = 0.42$$ 4. To convert a percent to a fraction, write it as $\frac{42}{100}$ and simplify by dividing numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 2: $$\frac{42}{100} = \frac{\cancel{42}^{{21}}}{\cancel{100}^{{50}}} = \frac{21}{50}$$ 5. So, 42% equals 0.42 as a decimal and $\frac{21}{50}$ as a simplified fraction. This means if you have 100 parts, 42% corresponds to 42 parts, or equivalently 0.42 in decimal form or $\frac{21}{50}$ in fraction form.