In describing the units of a rate, the word "per" is used to separate the [[units]] of the two [[measurements]] used to calculate the rate (for example a heart rate is [[expressed]] "beats per minute"). A rate defined using two [[numbers]] of the same units (such as tax rates) or counts (such as literacy rate) will result in a dimensionless [[quantity]], which can be expressed as a percentage (for example, the global literacy rate in 1998 was 80%) or [[fraction]] or as a multiple. | In describing the units of a rate, the word "per" is used to separate the [[units]] of the two [[measurements]] used to calculate the rate (for example a heart rate is [[expressed]] "beats per minute"). A rate defined using two [[numbers]] of the same units (such as tax rates) or counts (such as literacy rate) will result in a dimensionless [[quantity]], which can be expressed as a percentage (for example, the global literacy rate in 1998 was 80%) or [[fraction]] or as a multiple. |