Maths · Fractions, Decimals & Percentages
Percentage of amounts
Find percentages of quantities.
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What does percentage mean?
Percentage means 'out of 100'. The symbol % represents per cent. Finding 50% of something means finding half of it. Finding 25% means finding one quarter. Percentages help us compare parts of different quantities easily.
Have a go
Try 3 sample questions
1. Find 35% of 80.
2. Find 25% of 60.
3. Find 5% of 80.
Three ways to find a percentage
You can find 10% by dividing by 10. You can find 1% by dividing by 100. You can convert the percentage to a decimal by dividing by 100, then multiply. All three methods give the same answer!
Building percentages from 10% and 1%
Once you know 10% of an amount, you can find other percentages. For 20%, double the 10%. For 5%, halve the 10%. For 30%, triple the 10%. This building-block method is really useful.
The decimal method
To find 35% of 80, first write 35% as a decimal: 0.35. Then multiply: 0.35 × 80 = 28. This method works for any percentage, even tricky ones like 17% or 63%.
Common percentages to remember
Some percentages appear often. 50% = ½, 25% = ¼, 75% = ¾, 10% = 1/10. Knowing these helps you spot quick methods and check if your answers make sense.
Worked examples
1. Find 30% of 60.
- Method 1: Find 10% by dividing by 10: 60 ÷ 10 = 6
- 30% is three times 10%, so multiply: 6 × 3 = 18
- Method 2: Convert to decimal: 30% = 0.3
- Multiply: 0.3 × 60 = 18
2. Find 15% of 80.
- Find 10% first: 80 ÷ 10 = 8
- Find 5% by halving 10%: 8 ÷ 2 = 4
- Add them together: 10% + 5% = 15%, so 8 + 4 = 12
- Answer: 12
3. Find 45% of 200.
- Convert 45% to a decimal: 45 ÷ 100 = 0.45
- Multiply by the amount: 0.45 × 200 = 90
- Answer: 90
Try it yourself
Find 20% of 150.