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Figure out percentages super quickly with this trick you were never taught in school
Wait...it's seriously THAT easy?!
Cheryl Knight
05.03.21

Math is complicated for some people. Even if you do not find most math difficult, it is always nice to have an easier way of accomplishing equations. One area of math that might stump you is figuring out percentages.

Fortunately, there is an easy trick you can use to figure out some percentages.

How to figure out some simple percentages

YouTube Screenshot – tecmath
Source:
YouTube Screenshot – tecmath

For example, trying to figure 16 percent of 25 might seem difficult. Unless you have a knack for math or a calculator handy, figuring the answer out is not a simple thing. Where do you even begin?

Reverse the numbers

YouTube Screenshot – tecmath
Source:
YouTube Screenshot – tecmath

While the answer is four, did you know there is an easier way to come to that conclusion? And it is pretty easy, at least for this particular math problem. All you need to do is reverse the 25 and the 16.

YouTube Screenshot – tecmath
Source:
YouTube Screenshot – tecmath

Twenty-five is a ¼ of 100, meaning it takes four 25s to make 100. If you divide 16 by four, you get four as the answer. See, a lot easier than trying to do it the other way around. Now, let’s look at some more equations with which this method works.

Some more examples

YouTube Screenshot – tecmath
Source:
YouTube Screenshot – tecmath

In this next example, we’ll look at 48 percent of 50, 60 percent of 75, and 44 percent of 150. By applying similar principles as before, reversing the numbers, you can easily figure out the answers to each math problem.

YouTube Screenshot – tecmath
Source:
YouTube Screenshot – tecmath

By looking for 50 percent of 48 instead, which is ½, you get the answer of 24. For 75 percent of 60 simply divide 60 by four, which equals 15. Now, 75 percent of 100 is ¾. So, multiply 15 times 3 to get the answer of 45.

To get the answer for the final equation, you have to take a slightly different tack. One-hundred and fifty percent of 100 is 1-1/2 of 100. So, Take ½ of 44, which equals 22, and add it to 44 to get 66, which equals 44 percent of 150.

More math tricks

Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio
Source:
Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio

This next trick involves easily figuring out a number by moving the decimal, if it has a decimal, or adding a zero to the end depending on whether you are multiplying by 10, 100, or 1,000. For example, to multiply by 10, simply move the decimal one number to the right, or add a zero on the end for numbers with a decimal.

The same applies to multiplying by 100 and 1,000. For equations multiplied by 100, move the decimal 2 places to the right, or add two zeros. Likewise, for multiplying by 1,000 move the decimal 3 places to the right or add three zeros on the end of the number.

Subtraction through addition

Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio
Source:
Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio

You can also figure out how much you need to subtract from a number to get a particular answer simply by using addition instead. Start with the smaller answer and figure out how much you would have to add to get the larger number. This works best with numbers that are somewhat closer together.

Figuring a 20 percent tip

Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio
Source:
Reader’s Digest – Nicole Fornabaio

This final trick allows you to easily figure out a 20 percent tip. Start by dividing the amount of your check by five. And that’s it, the result will be 20 percent of whatever the amount is. To make it even easier, as most checks aren’t whole numbers, round up or down to the next whole number according to how much you want to give.

For more on how to figure some percentages, check out the following video.

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Sources: YouTube – tecmath, Reader’s Digest

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