Percents

Percentages are all around us—in stores, on tests, on bills, in the news, and even in cooking or dieting. But what does "percent" actually mean?

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to use or understand percentages, don’t worry. We’ll break it down step by step so that it finally makes sense.

What Does “Percent” Mean? 

Percent comes from the Latin phrase per centum, which means “per hundred.”

So when you see something like 25%, it just means 25 out of 100.

✅ Think of it like this:

Imagine a pizza cut into 100 tiny slices:

• 25% means 25 of those 100 slices.

• 50% means half the pizza (50 out of 100).

• 100% means the whole pizza (all 100 slices).

Where Do We Use Percentages in Real Life?

• Sales and Discounts:
  "This shirt is 20% off today!"

• Grades:
  "You scored 80% on your quiz."

• Tips and Taxes:
  "Leave a 15% tip at the restaurant."

• Health:
  "You drank 60% of your daily water goal."

Once you understand how to work with percentages, you’ll see them everywhere.

🧠 How to Find a Percentage of a Number

The most common type of percentage problem is: What is ___% of a number?

Example 1: What is 20% of 50?

Step-by-step:

1. Convert 20% to a decimal:  20%=20/100=0.20

2. Multiply by the number:  0.20×50=10

✅ Answer: 20% of 50 is 10.

Example 2: What is 75% of 200?

75%=0.75 

Then 0.75×200=1500

✅ Answer: 75% of 200 is 150.

Try It Yourself:

1. What is 30% of 90?

2. What is 10% of 60?

3. What is 50% of 500?

(Answers below)

🧠 How to Find What Percent One Number Is of Another 

This type of question looks like: "What percent is ___ of ___?"

Example 3: What percent is 25 of 50?

1. Divide the part by the whole:  25/50=0.5

2. Convert to a percent by multiplying by 100: 0.5×100=50%

✅ Answer: 25 is 50% of 50.

🟨 Word Problem Example: You are buying a $40 jacket that’s on sale for 25% off.  How much will you save?

25%×40 =0.25×40 =10

✅ You save $10.
That means you’ll pay $30.

✅ Answers to Practice Questions:

1. 30% of 90 = 0.30 × 90 = 27

2. 10% of 60 = 0.10 × 60 = 6

3. 50% of 500 = 0.50 × 500 = 250

Applications of Percentages:

Percentages are widely used in various everyday scenarios:

• Discounts: When you shop, discounts are often expressed in percentages to show how much you save on a purchase.

• Interest Rates: In finance, interest rates on loans, savings accounts, and investments are usually given in percentages.

• Probability and Statistics: Percentages are used to represent probabilities and frequencies in statistical analysis.

• Grade Systems: In education, grades are often assigned as percentages.

• Medical and Health Data: Percentages are used to represent risk factors, recovery rates, and more in the healthcare field.

Understanding percentages is essential for making informed decisions, comparing values, and interpreting data in various fields. Practicing percentage calculations and their applications will help you become proficient in working with percentages.