what is 70% of 7/16 of an inch

Percents are numbers out of a hundred. To convert to fractions, you divide the percent by 100. $${\frac{{\mathtt{70}}}{{\mathtt{100}}}} = {\frac{{\mathtt{7}}}{{\mathtt{10}}}} = {\mathtt{0.7}}$$ Then you multiply because "of" means multiplication. To multiply fractions, you multiply the numerator of the first by the second, and the denominator of the first by the second. $$\left({\frac{{\mathtt{7}}}{{\mathtt{10}}}}\right){\mathtt{\,\times\,}}\left({\frac{{\mathtt{7}}}{{\mathtt{16}}}}\right)$$

7 * 7 = 49, and 10 * 16 = 160. $${\frac{{\mathtt{49}}}{{\mathtt{160}}}} = {\mathtt{0.306\: \!25}}$$. So your answer is "0.30625 inches."