Percentages are a way of expressing a part of a whole as a number out of 100. They are used in many different areas of life, such as business, science, and everyday conversation.
In this blog post, we will discuss how to calculate percentages, as well as some examples of how they are used.
How to Calculate Percentages?
There are two ways to calculate percentages:
- Direct method: This method is used when you know the part and the whole. To calculate the percentage, simply divide the part by the whole and multiply by 100.
- Indirect method: This method is used when you know the percentage and the whole. To calculate the part, simply divide the percentage by 100 and multiply by the whole.
Here are some examples of how to calculate percentages using the direct method:
- Example 1: A class of 30 students has 15 girls. What percentage of the class is female?
To calculate the percentage of girls in the class, we would use the following formula:
Part / Whole * 100 = Percentage
In this case, the part is the number of girls in the class (15) and the whole is the total number of students in the class (30). So, we would have:
15 / 30 * 100 = 50%
This means that 50% of the class is female.
- Example 2: A store sells 100 shirts, and 20 of them are red. What percentage of the shirts are red?
To calculate the percentage of red shirts in the store, we would use the following formula:
Part / Whole * 100 = Percentage
In this case, the part is the number of red shirts in the store (20) and the whole is the total number of shirts in the store (100). So, we would have:
20 / 100 * 100 = 20%
This means that 20% of the shirts in the store are red.
Here are some examples of how to calculate percentages using the indirect method:
- Example 1: A company’s profits are $100,000, and they want to increase their profits by 10%. What will their new profits be?
To calculate the new profits, we would use the following formula:
Percentage * Whole = Part
In this case, the percentage is 10% and the whole is the current profits ($100,000). So, we would have:
10 / 100 * 100000 = 10000
This means that the company’s new profits will be $110,000.
- Example 2: A student wants to score an 80% on a test. If the test is worth 100 points, how many points does the student need to get?
To calculate the number of points the student needs to get, we would use the following formula:
Percentage * Whole = Part
In this case, the percentage is 80% and the whole is the total number of points on the test (100). So, we would have:
80 / 100 * 100 = 80
This means that the student needs to get 80 points on the test to score an 80%.
Conclusion
These are just a few examples of how to calculate percentages. Percentages are a useful tool for understanding parts of a whole, and they are used in many different areas of life.
