Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Increasing by a percentage
Percentages can be added, whether they are in fraction, decimal or percentage form – however, the key is that what is being added must be in the same form. For example:
- In fraction form:
- Alternatively,
- Alternatively,
They can be added because they have the same common denominator of 100.
To increase a number by a certain percentage, find (100+that increase) percent of the original number.
For example, to increase a 2900 by 20%, we find 120% of 2900. Knowing that , we multiply , i.e.:
Note the decimal place hasn’t been inserted yet! As the question had a total of 1dp, we move the decimal place one to the left. So, the answer is 3480, the number 2900 increased by 20%.
Decreasing a percentage
Percentages can be subtracted in the same way they can be added, for example:
- In fraction form:
To decrease a number by a certain percentage, find (100-that decrease) percent of the original number.
For example, to decrease 2900 by 30%, find 70% of 2900. As 70% is 0.7, we multiply , i.e.:
Note the decimal place hasn’t been inserted yet! As the question had a total of 1dp, we move the decimal place one to the left. So, the answer is 2,030, the number 2900 decreased by 30%.