The Percentage Calculator tool to calculate percentages, calculating discounts, calculating tips, or figure out how much something has increased or decreased in percent.
How To Calculate Percentages?
Here’s a straightforward guide on how to calculate percentages with formulas and examples:
1. Understanding the Basics:
- What is a Percentage?: A percentage is a proportion or a fraction of 100. It represents a part of a whole expressed in terms of one hundred.
- Percentage Formula: The basic formula to calculate a percentage is: Percentage = ( Part / Whole ) × 100%
2. Steps to Calculate Percentages:
- Identify the Whole: Determine the total or the whole amount. This represents 100%.
- Determine the Part: Find the portion or the part of the whole that you want to express as a percentage.
- Apply the Formula: Use the formula above to calculate the percentage by dividing the part by the whole and multiplying by 100%.
3. Examples:
Example 1: Calculating a Percentage of a Whole:
- Problem: What is 20% of 150?
- Solution:
- Step 1: Identify the whole: Whole = 150
- Step 2: Determine the part: 20% of 150
- Step 3: Apply the formula:
Percentage = ( 20 / 150 ) × 100% = ( 20 / 150 ) × 100 = 13.33% - Answer: 20% of 150 is 30.
Example 2: Finding the Percentage Change:
- Problem: If a stock’s value increased from $50 to $60, what is the percentage increase?
- Solution:
- Step 1: Identify the initial value (old value) and the final value (new value):
Old value = 50, New value = 60 - Step 2: Determine the change: Change = New value − Old value = 60 − 50 = 10
- Step 3: Apply the formula:
Percentage change = ( Change / Old value ) × 100% = ( 10 / 50 ) × 100 = 20% - Answer: The percentage increase is 20%.
- Step 1: Identify the initial value (old value) and the final value (new value):
4. Additional Tips:
- Percentage Increase/Decrease: When finding the percentage increase, the formula is ( New Value − Old Value ) / Old Value × 100. For a percentage decrease, it’s ( Old Value − New Value ) / Old Value × 100.
- Converting a Percentage to a Decimal: Divide the percentage by 100 to convert it to a decimal. For example, 20% is 0.20 in decimal form.
Calculating percentages enables data interpretation and decision-making; use this guide for efficient percentage calculations.