Idiocy admitted to, disclaimer disclaimed, now how do I figure out what the percentage of one number another number is?
OK, that was awkwardly worded. In a nutshell, for example,how do I figure out what percentage 834 is of 9,263? I have a calculator in front of me and the percentage button always comes up 222 when I push it for any reason. Can we assume I don’t have a % button, but fully functioning add, subtract, multiply, and divide buttons? Thank you. I feel like a fool. I know I should know this.
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20 Answers
x9263 = 834
Divide both sides of the equation by 9263.
x = .09 or 9%
(Stop apologizing immediately.)
@JilltheTooth Easy way to tell if you have it right, the answer will be less than 1.0 if the percentage you’re looking for is less than the total.
Or round it off for the first approximation.
800/10000 is .08 or 8%
800/8000 is .10 or 10 %
800/9000 is almost .09 or 9%
@gailcalled I never really thought about rounding out such a large number. Is it pretty accurate all the time?
Always. Try eliminating the zeros for an easier way.
8/100 =.08
8/80 = .1
8/90 is like the mama bear, in between.
I remember that! ^ ^ ^ Cool!
If you get stuck on what to do, it helps to work with small numbers. What percentage is 1 of 2. It is half or 50%. How can you get 50%. Dividing 2 into 1 gives .5.
Cross multiplication. This is the algebraic function I use most often in real life.
So…9263/100%=834/x%
Cross multiply and solve for x.
If you had divided both ways, you’d have answers of 11.10 and 0.09. You’d likely be still unsure which was the right answer.
The best guide for you there would be that 10% of 9263 (0.10 * 9263) is 926.3, and 926 is reasonably close to 834; 0.09 is reasonably close to 0.10.
9%
(It would also help to know that 11.10 represents 1110%, which is wildly off the mark.)
So basically I just divide the littler number by the bigger number. Got it, guys. Thanks!
@JilltheTooth: Use imagery as another technique. Imagine an apple pie. Now, cut it in half across the equator, then again from north to south. Remove one piece and eat it.
How much pis is left? 75%, right? That’s ¾ (unless you ate two more pieces, in which case it is 25% or ¼/)
For extra credits convert to calories consumed.
I understand percentage as related to the numbers and the amounts and the slices of pie and the pieces of cake, I was really just drawing a blank on making it work on the calculator, as we just had a slight bump up in sales tax here and I wanted a precise read on the total for my Chinese food delivery.
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@JilltheTooth Be careful with “just divide the littler number by the bigger number” to calculate a percentage, because it is possible that you might one day encounter a problem that is considering an increase. Sometimes you can give 110%.
But yes, if you’re considering proportions of a pie, or any situation where you’re looking at a part of a bigger whole… the little number goes on top.
For easier calculator use with such a problem, always do this:
smaller number x 100
divide result by bigger number
Really, I just wanted to figure the sales tax on the take-out. You guys are telling me too much and I’m getting confused. My head is ‘bout to splode.
@JilltheTooth Sales tax is relatively easy if your break it down. Ours is 8 percent. Double the price and you get the first 2 percent. See where I’m going? Works with tips too.
6.1%. Not something I can do in my head. Nor do I want to. I’m going to stick with dividing the littler number by the bigger number.
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