Percent Problems Made Easy

James T. Charnock Nothing But the Truth Originally, this article was sent to a well-known math journal and was rejected. I called to find out why. The answer was astounding. The anonymous reviewers admitted that, yes, this is a short and foolproof way to get the correct answer to percentage problems, butgetting the correct answer was not paramount. You see, there was no discovery learning involved, they said, and therefore the article was not acceptable. Now, you tell me, if theres a process that helps students surmount oftenconfusing multi-approachable percent-related problems, shouldnt it be shared? Thats what I concluded. So here you are ready to discover it. Young people, adults, even some teachers (its true, alas) have trouble working percent problems. Even when teachers dont have to think twice to solve a percent statement, they often do become cowed by the difficulty of getting their students to figure them out. The following technique is simple and, as stated, foolproofwhether the problem to be solved is a statement or word problem. First You Have to Know This The reader may know that there are at least two common methods of solving percent problems: using an equation/mathematical sentence (80n=6) or using a ratio/proportion (a/b=c/d). I am choosing the ratio/proportion technique but with a slight though significant twistbecause students too often do not know how to set up the proportion; that is they dont know where the numbers go. (Is it a numerator or denominator? And on what side of the relationship or equal sign/equation?) Prerequistes: First of all, the student needs to grasp the idea that 6% can be stated as the fraction of 6/100. Very teachable. Next, there is the need for the shortcut, crossproducts/cross-multiplying (proportion) method used
Why Does It Work? The technique used here is an algorithm or pattern the student can followalmost thoughtlessly--in order to get the correct answer. It is in the same league as the multiplication pattern of 25 But why do we arrange x 36 or pattern the numbers in 150 this configuration and 75 and operate on them the 900. way we do? Students arent often told the reason whyeven though its an effective get-the-right-answer technique. And some advocates in the you-must-understand-before-you do-it camp criticize teaching a pattern with the sole purpose of having students get the right answer. So here goes. In using a proportion were simply riding piggyback on simpler ideas often taught with understanding before percent or interest problems come on the scene The first idea is embodied in the left ratio of the proportion. A percent fraction with 100 as its denominator is simply an equivalent fraction with the total quantity (Contd., p. 2)

in comparing fractions 12 where the student 2 places the symbols ->, < and =: 3

15 0 5 -6

Which shows that 2/3<5/6 [12<15]. Instilling this knowledge takes more time, but is still rather easy. Even with the above prerequisites, students still falter on percentage problems. So, lets give them a little more help: Such as, is means equal and of means multiply in a word statement/problem. We can also throw in a little physical manipulation discovery. The result? Unexplained failure. Why? Percentage problems are just too abstract for many students. Even national surveys attest to the fact that this area of math is a low scorer. The Solution: Part 1

mentionedor yet unstatedin the paired-fractions denominator. The second idea that comes into play in solving a proportion (two ratios being compared), with a missing term (numerator or denominator), is the algebraic certainty that if a/b=c/d, then a x d=b x coften referred to as cross products. Therefore, if one is able to discover (using the cross-products method of solving) the value for n, as in n/100=36/75, one will arrive at the answer. Of course, one must understand the multiplication facts (times tables); know how to divide; grasp the idea of fractions and equivalency; and perceive the convenient, fraction use of the property of 1 (also called the identity property) when multiplied with n in one of the proportions ratios, as in 49.7/49.7.

Here are two simple rules for solving percentage problems: Rule 1: Convert the percent segment of a statement into a fraction: 24% or 24 percent becomes 24/100; what percent becomes n/100. Rule 2: WHATEVER immediately comes after of becomes a denominator. Rule 2 is what saves the student from failure! I tell my students to let the percent fraction (ratio) be the left half of the proportion (two fractions being compared) and what comes after the of always occupies the denominator on the right side. Lets look at some examples: 1. 24 is 35% of what number? becomes 35/100 = 24/n. (nfor what number comes after of. And the percent statement is the left half or ratio of the proportion.) 2. What percent of 35 is 21? becomes n/100 = 21/35. (35 comes after of.) 3. What is 24% of 36? becomes 24/100 = n/36. 36 comes after of. (Students Should also be taught the shorter technique of 36 x .24 = n for this statement. Which means decimal point and place value knowledge; such as 24/100 = .24.) How about a simple word problem? The interest paid for one year on a loan is $429. What is the amount of the loan if the interest rate is eight percent? The solution statement: 8/100 = 429/n. (The unknown original loan comes after of.)

The Solution: Part 2 Of course, too, the student needs to know what to do after setting up a proportion: Step 1: 8/100 = 429/n Step 2: 8n = 429x100 (cross products) 8n 42900 Step 3: --- = ----- (use of the identity property or property of onelook it up.) 8 8 Step 4: n = 5,362.50 (that is, 42900 divided by 8)

The proportion method can also be used to calculate interest problems at the junior high level as a replacement for the traditional approach of I=prt, but I can already see eyes beginning to glaze over at the thought of it. So

In Conclusion I will confess: I feel the shorter, more time-efficient, traditional equation or formula methods for solving percentage-related problems may be the preferred techniques, but, for the learner, such problems are not as easy to conquer using them. (Besides, it is always good to have another approach to ones repertoire of teaching.) Once the student has full understanding of and familiarity with the ratio/proportion algorithm s/he may easily shortcut it into traditional methods. Some students, though, will always find the traditional/shorter methods a problem. Therefore, the ratio/proportion technique wins overall.