How to Calculate Percentage

Calculating percentages can be an easy task. There are numerous percentage calculators online that can help with task by simply searching for “percentage calculator.” However, there may be a time when (however, unlikely it sounds) you may need to be able to calculate percentages without any digital assistance.

Before you can calculate a percentage, you should first understand exactly what a percentage is.

The word percentage comes from the word percent. If you split the word percent into its root words, you see “per” and “cent.” Cent is an old European word with French, Latin, and Italian origins meaning “hundred”. So, percent is translated directly to “per hundred.” If you have 87 percent, you literally have 87 per 100. If it snowed 13 times in the last 100 days, it snowed 13 percent of the time.

The numbers that you will be converting into percentages can be given to you in 2 different formats, decimal and fraction. Decimal format is easier to calculate into a percentage. Converting a decimal to a percentage is as simple as multiplying it by 100. To convert .87 to a percent, simply multiple .87 by 100.

.87 × 100=87

Thus, resulting in 87 percent.

If you are given a fraction, convert it to a percentage by dividing the top number by the bottom number. If you are given 13/100, you would divide 13 by 100.

13 ÷ 100 = .13

Then, follow the steps above for converting a decimal to a percent.

.13 × 100 = 13

Thus getting 13%.

The more difficult task comes when you need to know a percentage when you are given numbers that don’t fit so neatly into 100.

Most of the time, you will be given a percentage of a given number. For example, you may know that 40 percent of your paycheck will go to taxes and you want to find out how much money that is. To calculate the percentage of a specific number, you first convert the percentage number to a decimal.

This process is the reverse of what you did earlier. You divide your percentage by 100. So, 40% would be 40 divided by 100 or .40.

40 ÷ 100 = .40

Once you have the decimal version of your percentage, simply multiply it by the given number. In this case, the amount of your paycheck. If your paycheck is $750, you would multiply 750 by .40.

750 × .40 = 300

Your answer would be 300. You are paying $300 in taxes.

Let’s try another example. You need to save 25 percent of your paycheck for the next 6 months to pay for an upcoming vacation. If your paycheck is $1500, how much should you save?

Start by converting 25 percent to a decimal.

25 ÷ 100 = .25

Now, multiply the decimal by the amount of your paycheck, or 1500.

1500 × .25 = 375

You need to save $375 from each paycheck.

How to calculate percentages? A brief guide of Percentage formulas with example and Solution steps.

Knowing how to calculate and use percentage helps you not only in scoring Math’s but also in real-life problems like you can calculate tips in restaurants or statistics of your favorite outdoor games.

The calculating percentage is actually quite easy. Just use the percentage formula to find out percentage and any unknown to a particular equation.

How to calculate percentages?

There are many formulas of finding percentages depending upon user requirements. The basic one is

x/y = p * 100 where x and y are numbers and p is a percentage.

Below are the Mathematical percentage formulas:

  1. Find the percentage of a number x? --------------------Formula # 1: p% * x = y

  2. What percentage of number x is number y? -----------Formula # 2: y/x = p%

  3. Find number x if the percentage of it is number y?----Formula # 3 : y/(p%) = x

1. Find the percentage of a number x? --------- Formula # 1: p% * x = y

Let’s take an example:


Q#1: What is the 70 % of 150?

  • If p = 70% and x = 150 ------------than convert into an equation like formula above
  • 70% * 150 = y
  • 70/100 * 150 = y---------------------convert percentage into 100 as 1 % = 1/100
  • 105 = y---------------------------------by reducing it.
  • You can say that 70% of 150 is 105.

2.What percentage of number x is number y? --------- Formula # 2: y/x = p%

Let’s take an example:


Q#1:What percentage of 90 is 20?

  • If x= 90 and y = 20--------------------than convert into an equation like formula above
  • 20/90 = p %
  • 0.22= p %--------------------------------put result in percentage form.
  • 0.22 * 100 = 22.2 % -------------------- is percentage of p
  • You can say that 22.2 % is percentage of 90 is 20.

3. Find number x if the percentage of tis number y? --------- Formula # 3: y/(p%) = x

Let’s take an example:


Q#1: 50 is 25% of what number?
* If y= 50 and p%= 25%----------------than convert into an equation like formula above

  • 50/(25%) = x ---------------------------solve the 25% = 25/100 = 0.25 and put in formula.
  • 50/0.25 = x
  • 200 = x you can say that 50 is 25% of number 200.
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There are two tips to easy calculate the percentage.

• Percentage to ratio

In Percentage: the word per means “out of” and cent means “100”.

percentage2
Here above both the examples: percentage describe the number is divided by 100. It’s the easiest ways and having no trouble in it.

• Percentage from ratio

To calculate a ratio to a percentage first you have to consider the fraction and then conversion to decimal and convert to percentage. As we know that the decimal gives off the 1 unit quantity. If we multiply it with 100 than we get the percentage value.

The numerator of the fraction with denominator which is 100 is called percentage. So some time we reduce fraction make makes it denominator 100 to calculate the percentage.

Example:

If 3/4 of the people of a population smokes, so to calculate the percentage of these people.

Answer:

It is also possible to multiply the 3/4, numerator and denominator, by 25 to make denominator 100. And covert into percentage than it become 75%.

percentage
There is no necessary pf percentage equals or less than 100.This quantity can exceed the overall total.

Let me tell you the most easy way to solve a problem:

• Finding 100% of a number is actually that number itself:

100% of 5 is 5.
100%of 40 is 40.
100%of 77 is 77.

• Finding 50% of a number is just divided it by 2:

50% of 40 is 20.
50% of 5 is 2.5
50% of 77 is 38.2

• Finding 25% of a number is just divided it by 4:

25% of 40 is 10.
25% of 5 is 1.25
25% of 77 is 19.25

• Finding 20% of a number is just divided it by 5:

20% of 40 is 8.
20% of 5 is 1.
20% of 77 is 15.4

• Finding 10% of a number is just move point a place at left:

10% of 40 is 4.0
10% of 5 is 0.5
10% of 77 is 7.7

• Finding 200% or 300% or 1000% of a number is just drop 2 zeroes form % value and multiple left portion with a number:

200% of 40 = 2 x 40 = 80
300% of 40 = 3 x 40 =120
1000% of 40 = 10 x 40 = 400

Turing a fraction x/y into a percentage p:

x/y=p/100
Example: 25 / 30 into percentage p=
25/30=p/100
25 x 100= p x30
2500 = 30p
2500/30=p
83.3 %=p

Turing a decimal into a percentage p:

Example: 0.65 into percentage
p
= 0.65 x 100 = 65%

The easiest way to change fraction into % is simply multiply fraction with 100.

Example: change 4/10 into %
= 4/10 X 100
= 400/10
= 40 %

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