Home Practice
For learners and parents For teachers and schools
Textbooks
Mathematics
Junior Secondary School 1 Junior Secondary School 2 Junior Secondary School 3
Full catalogue
Leaderboards
Learners Leaderboard Classes Leaderboard Schools Leaderboard
Pricing Support
Help centre Contact us
Log in

We think you are located in Nigeria. Is this correct?

1.7 Percentages

1.7 Percentages (EMGZ)

Percentage
A number represented as a part of \(\text{100}\).

How to calculate a percentage of an amount (EMG32)

  1. Write the percentage as a fraction with the denominator \(\text{100}\), for example \(\text{20}\% = \frac{\text{20}}{\text{100}}\). OR write the percentage as a decimal fraction, for example \(\text{20}\% = \text{0,2}\).
  2. Multiply this fraction / decimal fraction with the amount that is given.

Let's see how this works in an example.

Worked example 16: Working out percentages of amounts

Use a calculator to answer the following questions:

  1. How many people live in rural areas?

  2. How many T.B. patients are H.I.V. positive?

  3. How many people had never voted before the 1994 election?

  1. \(\text{43}\% = \text{43} \div \text{100}\) \(\frac{\text{43}}{\text{100}} \times \text{50 586 757} = \text{21 752 305}\) people live in rural areas. With a calculator: To find \(\text{43}\%\) of \(\text{50 586 757}\) key in: \(\text{43} \div \text{100} \times \text{50 586 757} =\) OR \(\text{43}\% \times \text{50 586 757} =\)
  2. \(\text{80}\% = \text{80} \div \text{100}\) \(\frac{\text{80}}{\text{100}} \times \text{1 291} = \text{1 032}\) patients
  3. \(\text{73}\% = \text{73} \div \text{100}\) \(\frac{\text{73}}{\text{100}} \times \text{21 700 000} = \text{15 841 000}\) people had never voted before.

Worked example 17: Working out one amount as a percentage of another amount

Top Teenage T-shirts printed \(\text{120}\) T-shirts. They sold \(\text{72}\) T-shirts immediately. What percentage of the T-shirts were sold?

\(\text{72}\) of the \(\text{120}\) T-shirts were sold

\(\text{72} \div \text{120} \times \text{100} = \text{60}\%\). So \(\text{60}\%\) of the T-shirts were sold.

Calculating the percentages of amounts

Exercise 1.10

Calculate the following without a calculator:

\(\text{25}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{124,16}\)

\(\text{25}\% = \frac{\text{1}}{\text{4}}\). \(\frac{\text{1}}{\text{4}} \text{ of } \text{R}\,\text{124,16} = \text{R}\,\text{124,16} \div \text{4} = \text{R}\,\text{31,04}\)

\(\text{50}\%\) of \(\text{30}\) \(\text{mm}\)

\(\text{50}\% = \frac{\text{1}}{\text{2}}\). \(\frac{\text{1}}{\text{2}} \text{ of } \text{30}\text{ mm} = \text{30}\text{ mm} \div \text{2} = \text{15}\text{ mm}\)

Using your calculator and calculate:

\(\text{15}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{3 500}\)

\(\text{R}\,\text{525}\)

\(\text{12}\%\) of \(\text{25}\) litres

\(\text{3}\) litres

\(\text{37,5}\%\) of \(\text{22}\) \(\text{kg}\)

\(\text{8,25}\) \(\text{kg}\)

\(\text{75}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{16,92}\)

\(\text{R}\,\text{12,69}\)

\(\text{18}\%\) of \(\text{105}\) \(\text{m}\)

\(\text{18,9}\) \(\text{m}\)

\(\text{79}\%\) of \(\text{840}\) \(\text{km}\)

\(\text{663,6}\) \(\text{km}\)

Calculate what percentage the first amount is of the second amount (you may use your calculator):

\(\text{120}\) of \(\text{480}\)

\(\text{25}\%\)

\(\text{23}\) of \(\text{276}\)

\(\text{8,3}\%\)

\(\text{3 500}\) \(\text{ml}\) of \(\text{5}\) litres

\(\text{70}\%\)

\(\text{750}\) \(\text{g}\) of \(\text{2}\) \(\text{kg}\)

\(\text{37,5}\%\)

\(\text{4}\) out of \(\text{5}\) for a test

\(\text{90}\%\)

\(\text{2}\) out of \(\text{14}\) balls

\(\text{14,3}\%\)

Percentage discounts and increases (EMG33)

Look at the following extracts from newspaper articles and adverts:

Cost price
The amount that the dealer / trader / merchant pays for an article.
Marked price
This is the price of the article.
Selling price
This is the price after discount.
Profit
Sale price \(-\) cost price.

Discounts and increases

Exercise 1.11

The price of a tub of margarine is \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}\). If the price rises by \(\text{10}\%\), how much will it cost?

New price is \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}\) + \(\text{10}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}\)= \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}\) + \(\text{70}\) \(\text{c}\) (rounded off) = \(\text{R}\,\text{7,69}\) OR New price is (\(\text{100}\) + \(\text{10}\))\% of \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}\) = \(\text{110}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{6,99}=\frac{\text{110}}{\text{100}} \times \frac{\text{6,99}}{\text{1}}= \text{R}\,\text{7,69}\) (rounded off)

Top Teenage T-shirts have a \(\text{20}\%\) discount on all T-shirts. If one of their T-shirts originally cost \(\text{R}\,\text{189,90}\), what will you pay for it now?

You only pay \(\text{80}\%\) (\(\text{100}\%\) \(-\) \(\text{20}\%\) discount). Thus: \(\frac{\text{80}}{\text{100}} \times \text{189,901} = \text{R}\,\text{151,92}\) OR \(\text{20}\%\) of \(\text{R}\,\text{189,90} = \frac{\text{20}}{\text{100}} \times \text{189,901}\). The discount is thus \(\text{R}\,\text{37,98}\). You pay \(\text{R}\,\text{189,90} - \text{R}\,\text{37,98} = \text{R}\,\text{151,92}\).

Look at the pictures below. What is the value of each of the following items, in rands?

\(\text{R}\,\text{239,96} - \text{R}\,\text{59,75} = \text{R}\,\text{180,21}\)

\(\text{R}\,\text{299,50} - \text{R}\,\text{44,925} = \text{R}\,\text{1 254,58}\)

\(\text{R}\,\text{9 875} + \text{R}\,\text{790} = \text{R}\,\text{10 665}\)

\(\text{R}\,\text{15 995} + \text{R}\,\text{799,75}= \text{R}\,\text{16 794,75}\)

Calculate the percentage discount on each of these items:

\(\frac{\text{R}\,\text{1 360}}{\text{R}\,\text{1 523}} = \text{89}\%\). So discount is \(\text{100}\% - \text{89}\% = \text{11}\%\)

\(\frac{\text{R}\,\text{527,40}}{\text{R}\,\text{586}} = \text{90}\%\). So discount is \(\text{100}\% - \text{90}\% = \text{10}\%\)