Problem 50 - Algebra 1: Concepts and Skills

Question

Evaluate. $$ 99 \% \text { of } 10,000 $$

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The 99% of 10,000 is 9900.

Step 1: Understand the problem

We are asked to find out what is 99% of 10,000.

Step 2: Convert the percentage into decimal

99% can be written as 0.99 in decimal form as \( \frac{99}{100} = 0.99 \)

Step 3: Multiply to find the value

We now multiply 0.99 (the decimal equivalent of 99%) with 10,000 to get the result.

Key Concepts

Converting Percentages to Decimals

Understanding how to convert percentages to decimals is a foundational skill in mathematics, especially when dealing with financial calculations, statistics, and various real-life applications. A percentage represents a part per hundred. To convert a percentage to a decimal, divide the percentage value by 100.
For example, 99% becomes 0.99 when we divide 99 by 100. This is because the percent sign means 'per hundred', so every percentage is essentially a fraction with a denominator of 100. Breaking it down, 99% is the same as 99 per 100 or \( \frac{99}{100} \). In this exercise, changing 99% into a decimal by dividing by 100 gives us a simpler form to work with in further calculations.

Percent of a Number

Calculating the percent of a number is a commonly encountered problem in both academics and daily life. To find out what a certain percentage is of a given number, you first convert the percentage to a decimal and then multiply it with the number.
When the problem asks for 99% of 10,000, this means we want to find out how much 99 parts out of a hundred parts of 10,000 would be. After converting 99% into 0.99, multiply 0.99 by 10,000 to find the answer. This multiplication is a straightforward arithmetic operation, turning the abstract concept of '99% of' into a concrete number.

Basic Arithmetic Operations

At the heart of percentage calculations are basic arithmetic operations, which involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In the context of finding percentages of numbers, multiplication is commonly employed.
Multiplying a decimal by a whole number is done the same way as multiplying two whole numbers, with the addition of placing the decimal point in the correct position in the answer. Understanding where to place the decimal point comes with practice and attention to the values you're working with. For instance, multiplying 0.99 (the decimal form of 99%) by 10,000 involves moving the decimal point two places to the right, reflecting the two-place shift when converting from percentage to decimal form. Therefore, multiply as usual, and then place the decimal point to get the accurate final result.