Application of Number
Level 2
HOME
Finding the percentage of an amount - Tutorial 1
We often need to find the percentage of an amount. For example if there was a '25% off' sale at your favourite shop, you would want to work out how much of a saving you would get.
Finding the percentage of an amount involves two steps.
| Step 1 - Change
the percentage into a decimal. If you can't remember how to change a percentage into a decimal click here to go to that tutorial. Step 2 - Multiply the amount by the decimal. |
Work through these examples using your calculator.
Example 1
25% of £200
0.25 x £200 = £50
Example 2
50% of £20
0.50 x £20 = £10
Example 3
10% of £500
0.10 x £500 = £50
| TRICK |
You may have noticed that the percentage and the decimal are very similar in each case. Can you spot the pattern?
| Percentage | Decimal |
| 50% | 0.50 |
| 35% | 0.35 |
| 10% | 0.10 |
| 75% | 0.75 |
| 67% | 0.67 |
As a general rule, if you put '0.' in front of the percentage, you get the decimal equivalent. So 12% becomes 0.12.
This does not work if the percentage is less than 10, i.e. 1 to 9. In these cases you have to put '0.0' in front of the percentage.
| Percentage | Decimal |
| 9% | 0.09 |
| 8% | 0.08 |
| 5% | 0.05 |
| 4% | 0.04 |
| 1% | 0.01 |
Example 4
5% of £200
0.05 x £200 = £10
Example 5
9% of £1000
0.09 x £1000 = £90
Try this assessment. Try to get at least 80%. Do this assessment again in a day or so to check that you remembered how to do it.
Click below to go back to the main menu.
