The gross signal is determined by following the rules below. (1) First, the percentage of each element is calculated to see if the result is 100 or very close. In that case, it is thought that there is no other element in the molecule. But if the result is less than 100 , the compound is considered to be a percentage of all the atoms of the compound which are not mentioned. (2) The relative proportions of the atoms of the compound elements are found by dividing the percentage of each element by its respective atomic mass. (3) Each number is divided by the smallest number to make the relative ratio relatively simple. The quotient thus obtained indicates the number of atoms of different elements. Since no compound can contain atomic fractions , each of them is divided by a convenient number (usually the smallest number) to convert the number of atoms into whole numbers. This whole number of atoms is the number of atoms of the elements of the gross signal of the compound.