MATH
Percentage
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PERCENTAGE
Definition
Percentage: Percent is derived from Latin word ‘per
centum’ meaning ‘per hundred’ i.e. Percentages are
numerators of fraction with denominator 100 and have
been used in comparing results.
Percent is represented by the symbol % and means
hundredths too. That is 1% means 1 out of hundred or
one hundredth. It can be written as: 1% = 1 0.01
100
Let’s take an Ex. for better understanding:
Shalini’s Report
Total: 300/360
Shreya’s Report
Total: 320/400
Now, Shreya said that she has done better as she got
320 marks whereas Shalini got only 300. Do you agree
with her? Who do you think has done better?
1
Kajal told them that they cannot decide who has done
better by just comparing the total marks obtained
because the maximum marks out of which they got the
marks are not the same.
So, she said that why you don’t check the percentage?
Shreya’s percentage was 80% and Shalini’s percentage
was 83.33%. So, this shows that Shalini has done better.
Conversion of Fraction to Percentage: Multiply the
fraction by 100 to convert it into percent.
1
Ex.1: Write as per cent:
6
1
Sol: We have, 100 16.67%
6
Ex.2: Write 3
as per cent:
8
3
Sol: We have, 100 37.5%
8
Conversion of Percentage to Fraction: Reversing the
earlier operation will convert a percent to a fraction i.e.
divide the percent by 100.
Ex.3: Write 60% as fraction.
60 3
Sol: We have, 60%
100 5
2
Ex.4: Write 55% as fraction.
55 11
Sol: We have, 55% or 0.55
100 20
Fill the following columns:
Percent 1% 10% 25% 45% 37.5% 75%
Fraction 1
10
Decimal 0.01
Use of Percentages: Let us now think about that how
percentages can be used in real life. For this let’s take
some statements:
15% of the income is saved by Raghav. Now, by
15% means we means 15 parts out of 100 or we
write it as 15/100.
Conversion of Percentage to ‘’How many’’: Let us
understand this concept by taking an Ex.:
Ex.5: A survey of 400 people showed that 25% like to
read “The Hindus” newspaper. How many people
like to read “The Hindus” newspaper?
Sol: Total number of people = 400
3
Out of these, 25% like to read “The Hindus”
newspaper.
Now, we can do this by two methods.
Method I: Out of 100, 25 like to read “The Hindus”
newspaper.
So, out of 400, number of people who like to read “The
25
Hindus” newspaper = 400 100
100
Method II: Number of people like to read “The Hindu”
25
newspaper = 25% of 400 = 400 100
100
Ex.6: In a school, there are 1000 students out of which
there are 40% are girls. How many boys are there
in the school?
Sol: Total students = 1000
Percentage of girls = 40%, therefore percentage of
boys = 100% - 40% = 60%
Thus, total number of boys = 60% of 1000 = 600
Increase or Decrease Percent:
Sometimes we need to know the increase or decrease in
a certain quantity as percentage. For Ex., if the
population of a city increased from 5,50,000 to 6,05,000.
4
Then the increase in population can be understood
better if we say, the population increased by 10%.
Here, one point is to be noted, that the increase or the
decrease is always on the original quantity. If the
increase or decrease is given in absolute and the
percentage increase or decrease is to be calculated, then
the following formula is applied to do so.
Quantity increase or decrease
% increase / decrease 100
Original quantity
The point worth remembering is that the denominator is
the ORIGINAL QUANTITY.
Ex.7: The number of illiterate people in a country
decreased from 150 lakhs to 100 lakhs in 100
years. What is the percentage decrease in number
of illiterate people?
Sol: Original quantity = the number of illiterate persons
initially = 150 lakhs
Change = decrease in the number of illiterate
persons = 150 – 100 = 50 lakhs
Therefore, percentage decrease =
Change 50 1
100 100 33 %
Original amount 150 3
5
To Increase a Number by x %:
If a number is increased by 10 %, then it becomes 1.1
times of itself.
If a number is increased by 20 %, then it becomes 1.2
times of itself.
If a number is increased by 30 %, then it becomes 1.3
times of itself.
If a number is increased by 40 %, then it becomes 1.4
times of itself.
Illustrative Ex.: Let us take the number 60, if we have to
increase it by 10% then we have
60 + 10% of 60 = 66
Or 1.1 x 60 = 66
To Decrease a Number by x %:
If a number is decreased by 10 %, then it becomes 0.90
times of itself.
If a number is decreased by 20 %, then it becomes 0.80
times of itself.
If a number is decreased by 30 %, then it becomes 0.70
times of itself.
6
If a number is decreased by 40 %, then it becomes 0.60
times of itself.
Illustrative Ex.: Let us take the number 60, if we have to
decrease it by 10% then we have 60 – 10% of 60 = 60 – 6
= 54 Or 0.9 x 60 = 54
Equivalent Percentages of some commonly used
Fractions:
Fraction %age Fraction %age
1 100% 1/11 9.09%
1/2 50% 1/12 8.33%
1/3 33.33% 1/13 7.69%
1/4 25% 1/14 7.14%
1/5 20% 1/15 6.67%
1/6 16.67% 1/16 6.25%
1/7 14.28% 1/17 5.88%
1/8 12.5% 1/18 5.55%
1/9 11.11% 1/19 5.26%
1/10 10% 1/20 5%
Solved Example:
1. What is 25% of 50?
25
Sol: 50 12.5
100
7
2. What percentage is Rs 13 of Rs 65?
13
Sol. 100 20%
65
3. A student obtained 82.5 % marks in a certain
examination. If the maximum marks is 600 find the
total marks obtained by her.
82.5
Sol: 600 = 495
100
4. The annual sales of company X were Rs 72,000 in
fiscal year 1994 - 1995 and Rs 84,000 in fiscal
1995 - 1996. What was the % increase in turnover?
Sol: Here Increase = 84,000 – 72,000 = 12,000
12,000 100 1
% Increase = = 100 = 16.67 %
72,000 6
5. The price of a Sajaj Scooter is Rs 25,000 which is
20 % lesser than a SMS Scooter. What is the price
of a SMS Scooter?
Sol: Here note that the % given is defined in terms of
the price of SMS Scooter and not Sajaj Scooter.
Computing the price of SMS as 1.2 times Sajaj’s
price will give incorrect answer. The data given is
8
100 20
SMS = Sajaj = 25,000
100
25,000 100
SMS = = Rs 31,250. Or you can
80
simply do 25,000
= 31250
0 .8
( 20 % less means it is 0.80 times of the other
one)
6. 12% of a certain sum of money is Rs.43.5. Find the
sum.
1
Sol: 12
of a sum = Rs. 43
100 2
87 100
⇒ The sum = × = Rs.362.50
2 12
Salary/Weight/Income Comparison
If A’s income is R % more than B, then B is income
R
is less than that of A by 100 %
100 R
If A’s income is R% less than B, then B’s income is
R
more than that of A by 100 %.
100 R
Given below are some important results in that context.
If A is 16 2 % less than B, then B is 20 % more than A.
3
9
If A is 20 % less than B, then B is 25 % more than A.
If A is 25 % less than B, then B is 33 1 % more than A.
3
Note: If the question is - the price of a commodity is
increased by R %, by what percent its consumption
should be decreased, so that the total expenditure
remains the same. Then the way to solve such
question is the same. i.e. if the price is increased
then consumption should be decreased
100 R
by . If the price is decreased, then
(100 R )
100 R
consumption should be increased by
(100 R )
7. The price of rice increases by 30 %. In order to
keep the expenses on rice constant as before, by
what percentage should a person cut down his
consumption?
100 R
Sol: Here apply the formula ( the price has
(100 R )
increased)
100 30
Consumption should be reduced by =
(100 30)
1
23 %
13
10
8. Tom’s income is 20 % less than Jerry’s. How much
is Jerry’s income more than Tom’s?
100 R
Sol: Apply the formula (income is R% less)
(100 R )
100 20
Jerry’s income is more by 25%
(80)
9. A traveling salesman carried 75 % of his money in
traveler’s cheque’s and 25 % in cash. During one of
his journeys, he lost his entire cash and spent from
his traveler’s cheques. On completion of the
journey, he returned 30% of the traveler’s cheques,
which amounted to Rs 180. What was the total
money that he carried?
Sol: 30 % of traveler’s cheques = Rs 180
100
100 % of traveller’s cheques = 180 = Rs 600
30
Since TC s accounted for 75% of the total money
that he had carried, the total money that he carried
100
is 600 × = Rs 800.
75
11
Increase and Decrease by the same % age.
If a number is increased by R %, then this number is
decreased by R %, then in total there would be decrease
R2
of %.
100
Increase and Decrease by different% age.
If a number is decreased by X %, then this is again
increased by Y %. Then the total increase in the no. will
XY
be [X+Y+ ] %.
100
The above-mentioned formula is very important. It has
its application in so many other questions. In case
instead of increase, there is a decrease, simply put a
negative value in its place. You will get the right answer,
even when both the decreases are given. What you will
get after solving the formula, if it is positive, there is an
increase, and if it is negative, there is a decrease.
10. A number is increased by 20%, then it is decreased
by 30%, what is the net change in the number?
Sol: Let the number be 100. When we increase the
number by 20%, we get 100×1.2 = 120, then this
number is decreased by 30%, we get 120×0.7 = 84.
12
So, initially number was 100, now it is 84. So, the
number is decreased by 16.
16
So, net % age change = 100 16%
100
Using the formula:
XY 20 30
XY 20 (30) = -16%
100 100
This means there is a decrease of 16%.
Compound Growths:
Typically compound growths are used in investment
growth analysis (compound interest) or in population
growth (things like cattle population, steel production
output growth). In this section, we will be primarily
concerned with compound growth related to population.
If P is the population of a country and if it grows at r %
per annum, then the population after n years will be
100 r
n
A P
100
11. A square is converted into a rectangle by
increasing one of its sides by 5 % and reducing the
other by 5 %. What will be the % change in the area
of the two figures?
13
Sol: Let the side of the square = a
Its area = a2
When the square is being converted to a rectangle,
the length becomes 1.05a and the width becomes
0.95a.
New area = 1.05a 0.95a = 0.9975a2
Change in area = a decrease of 0.0025a2
0.0025 a 2 100
% decrease in area = = 0.25 %
a2
12. If the population of a town is 231525 and it has
been growing annually at 5 %, what was the
population 3 years ago?
Sol: Let the population three years earlier be X
100 5
3
105 105 105
X × = 231525 X × =
100 100 100 100
231525
⇒ X = 231525
20 20 20
= 200,000
21 21 21
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