Explain how to calculate 7% of 250 by first calculating 1% of 250.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
To calculate 7% of 250 using 1% as an intermediate step, follow these steps:
- Calculate 1% of 250:
- To find 1% of any number, you divide the number by 100.
- ( \frac{250}{100} = 2.5 )
- Multiply 1% by 7:
- Since you want 7%, multiply the 1% value (2.5) by 7.
- ( 2.5 \times 7 = 17.5 )
Thus, 7% of 250 is 17.5.
Explanation:
Percentages are a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100. So, when you need to calculate a percentage, you’re finding how much of that quantity is represented by a part of 100. For example, 7% means 7 out of 100 parts.
Step 1: First, finding 1% is easy by dividing the number by 100, because 1% is just one part of 100. In this case, 250 divided by 100 gives 2.5, meaning 1% of 250 is 2.5.
Step 2: Since you want to know 7%, you need to take the value of 1% (2.5) and multiply it by 7. Multiplication here is simple: it scales the value of 1% to the appropriate percentage. So, ( 2.5 \times 7 = 17.5 ), giving you the result of 7% of 250.
Using 1% as a stepping stone to calculate percentages makes the problem more manageable, especially for mental calculations. Instead of diving into a direct multiplication of 0.07 (the decimal equivalent of 7%) and 250, breaking it down into 1% and then multiplying helps simplify the process.