Step-by-Step Guide: How to Calculate Percentages
Learn how to calculate percentages with this comprehensive guide. Understand the formulas and steps to determine percentages, increase and decrease values by a percentage, and find percentage differences.
Taking a Percentage of a Number
The formula to calculate a percentage of a number is given by:
$ \text{Result} = \frac{p \times v}{100} $
Where \( p \) is the percentage and \( v \) is the value. For example, to calculate 20% of 50:
$ \text{Result} = \frac{20 \times 50}{100} = 10 $
How to calculate it on a calculator:
$ \ p \times v \div 100 $
Increasing a Number by a Certain Percentage
To increase a number by a certain percentage:
$ \text{Result} = v + \left(\frac{p}{100} \times v\right) $
Where \( p \) is the percentage and \( v \) is the value. For example, to increase 50 by 20%:
$ \text{Result} = 50 + \left(\frac{20}{100} \times 50\right) = 50 + 10 = 60 $
How to calculate it on a calculator:
$ \ v + (p \times v \div 100) \ $
Decreasing a Number by a Certain Percentage
To decrease a number by a certain percentage:
$ \text{Result} = v - \left(\frac{p}{100} \times v\right) $
Where \( p \) is the percentage and \( v \) is the value. For example, to decrease 50 by 20%:
$ \text{Result} = 50 - \left(\frac{20}{100} \times 50\right) = 50 - 10 = 40 $
How to calculate it on a calculator:
$ \ v - (p \times v \div 100) \ $
Calculating What Percentage One Number Is of Another
To calculate what percentage one number is of another number:
$ \text{Percentage} = \left(\frac{v1 \times 100}{v2}\right) $
Where \( v1 \) is the first value and \( v2 \) is the second value. For example, what percentage is 20 of 50:
$ \text{Percentage} = \left(\frac{20 \times 100}{50}\right) = 40% $
How to calculate it on a calculator:
$ \ v1 \times 100 \div v2 \ $
Calculating the Percentage Difference
To calculate the percentage difference between two numbers:
$ \text{Percentage Difference} = \left(\frac{v2 - v1}{v1}\right) \times 100 $
Where \( v1 \) is the first value and \( v2 \) is the second value. For example, to calculate the percentage difference between 20 and 50:
$ \text{Percentage Difference} = \left(\frac{50 - 20}{20}\right) \times 100 = \left(\frac{30}{20}\right) \times 100 = 150% $
How to calculate it on a calculator:
$ \ (v2 - v1) \div v1 \times 100 \ $
Last updated 23 Oct 2024, 09:12 CEST .