Sunday, April 18, 2021

Figuring Percentages In Your Head

 Okay, can you figure the answer to this equation in your head? What is 16% of 50?, see if you can figure it out in your head, I'll wait, pretend that Jeopardy music is playing :)

Remember the percent sign ("%") is a constant meaning it has a value, and the value of the percent sign alone with no numbers in front has the value of 1/100. So instead of writing the equation 16% of 50, we can write the formula this way 16 x (1/100) x 50 notice, it makes no difference if we multiply it forward ,or backwards, or start with any number ,and then multiplying the other two,it will always come out with the same answer (so long there is no other math functions  getting in our way). So the equation can be written another way, since it makes no difference  in which order we multiply them.

                             What is 16 % of 50 ? can be re- written it in our heads in a different way, by moving the percent sign, assigning the percent sign to the 50 rather than the 16:  

50 % of 16 which of course gives us the answer of 8; Yes, 16% of 50 equals eight ,and so  does 50% of 16 equals 8.

Okay, here is another one what is 40% of 30 ?  This is really simple, forget the zeroes and simply multiply ( 4 x 3) giving us the answer of 12. Yes, like before 40% of 30 equals 12, so does 30% of 40 equals 12. When a equation says "of" it means to multiply

Here is another one: What is 20% of 120 ? Again we forget  about the zeroes and simply multiply ( 2 x 12) giving us the answer of 24.As long both the percentage and the number are ending in zeroes, we are good.

So if one sees a dress that had an original price of $150 and  they have a 20% sell, you know that  you will be saving $30. 

By the way the symbol "/" means divided by, so what is 1 divided by 2 ? The answer of course is 1/2. If you have one apple and want to divide it with a friend you will give her/him one-half of it. (end)




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