Percentages have confused everyone at some point in their lives. In actual fact, they’re quite simple. The process of calculating a percentage is just working something out ‘out of 100’. The actual symbol for percentage (%) is mathematical jargon that means ‘out of 100’. There are many taught ways to calculate percentages and some percentages are easier to work out than others.
Firstly, the basics: 50% is half of the thing (Jenny and Jim sliced the pie in half and each had 50%)
25% is a quarter, half of a half (Jenny and Jim sliced the second pie into four quarters, making each slice worth 25% of the whole thing),75% is three quarters (25 x 3 = 75) (Greg stole three slices of the second pie, which was 75%)
And finally, 100% is the whole. The entirety of the figure/object. (Jim had gone home when Jenny’s last pie was finished. She had the whole 100% of it to herself).
To work out 10% of something, simply divide the initial figure by 10. For example: To calculate 10% of 365, work out 365 ÷ 10 which is 36.5 (if dividing by 10, simply move the decimal point one figure to the left). By taking this 10% figure you can then work out any of the percentages that end in 5 or 0. 20% = 10% x 2 and 5% = 10% ÷ 2
For a more precise percentage such as 46%, if you are not fussed about being precise, simply work out 50% (half) and subtract an extra little bit. If you need to be precise, then the easiest way to work out 46% is to find what 1% is. Divide your initial figure by 100 (simply move the decimal point two steps to the left and voila, 1%), then multiply that by the percentage figure you desire.For example: You wish to know 46% of 56. Step 1: 56 ÷ 100 =0.56. Step 2: 0.56 x 46 = 25.76. 46% of 56 = 25.76
Firstly, the basics: 50% is half of the thing (Jenny and Jim sliced the pie in half and each had 50%)
25% is a quarter, half of a half (Jenny and Jim sliced the second pie into four quarters, making each slice worth 25% of the whole thing),75% is three quarters (25 x 3 = 75) (Greg stole three slices of the second pie, which was 75%)
And finally, 100% is the whole. The entirety of the figure/object. (Jim had gone home when Jenny’s last pie was finished. She had the whole 100% of it to herself).
To work out 10% of something, simply divide the initial figure by 10. For example: To calculate 10% of 365, work out 365 ÷ 10 which is 36.5 (if dividing by 10, simply move the decimal point one figure to the left). By taking this 10% figure you can then work out any of the percentages that end in 5 or 0. 20% = 10% x 2 and 5% = 10% ÷ 2
For a more precise percentage such as 46%, if you are not fussed about being precise, simply work out 50% (half) and subtract an extra little bit. If you need to be precise, then the easiest way to work out 46% is to find what 1% is. Divide your initial figure by 100 (simply move the decimal point two steps to the left and voila, 1%), then multiply that by the percentage figure you desire.For example: You wish to know 46% of 56. Step 1: 56 ÷ 100 =0.56. Step 2: 0.56 x 46 = 25.76. 46% of 56 = 25.76
