working out %

[MAXYMOO]

please could anyone tell me what 25% of£6000 please thanks

[bednobs]

lol you didn't notice that there were nine correct answers already then murray?

[factor-fiction]

I think the reason people keep posting answers long after a question has already been answered several times, is because of the new large 'Best Answer' advert. A few times recently I have clicked on a question in the Latest Posts box and if nothing is showing in the Best Answer box , the previous answers now don't appear on my screen so it looks as if there are no answers.

[murraymints]

bedknobs...no didn't look..went straight to answer box !!! now what % of ABers do thatdo you think ?

[bednobs]

lol i don't know anything about percentages, as previously stated

[ummmm]

I was thinking the exact same as bednobs :-)

[jomifl]

Divide £6000 by 100 which give the value of 1%
Multply by 25 because that's how many % there are
In this case you can simply knock off the 2 final 00s of the 6000 then muliply by 25
However as you know that 25% is quarter simply divide 6000 by 4

[murraymints]

I refer the hon Ummmm to my last post ....

[jomifl]

Factor 30, yup you are right, The best answer box makes it appear as if there are no answers...

[Prudie]

People always did this even before the new gap appeared. I've seen it done in Q&P lots of times. It always make me think posters get a sense of satisfaction in proving they know it too.
On this question my heart also sank. Asking for a quarter of something is somewhat worrying.

[micmak]

I think people are not interested in how to work things out any more, they just want the answer. £1 will buy a calculator in any pound shop.

[bednobs]

maybe the problem with maths is that it's not taught for practical applications? like people come out of school knowing how to do quadratic equations, but not knowing how to work out what beer is better value?

[ummmm]

I actually read the question, tutted, and clicked out of it.

Murray, I know....but that's what I thought. Like Prudie says....you often see people answering for answering sake!

[factor-fiction]

Calculators don't help much though if you don't know which buttons to press. I often get students asking "do I multiply or divide" when solving simple money problems on a calculator. To work out a percentage on a calculator you need to know the right order to press the buttons and then have a good feel for whether the answer makes sense.

[boxtops]

Trouble is, jomifl, I'm not convinced that everyone knows that 25% is a quarter.

Two schoolgirls in shop asked ME - "I have a pound, if I spend 49p on that and 39p on that, do I have enough money with me? " <<sigh>>

[murraymints]

When I did my exams ..moons ago...calculators not allowed only log book...even that was checked for illicit scribbles that could help...I beleive even in foreign languages the kid are allowed dictionaries !!!! in other language that is to say....

[factor-fiction]

Hi bednobs- solving quadratic equations are now taught only to the top15-20% of students at GCSE (those going for A/A* generally). Around 80% don't touch them now at secondary school.

There is a large emphasis on solving real life problems including value for money. I look at mobile phone contracts, for example, but the general comment is "I just want the one that looks the best". Percentages are taught every year too.
I must agree though, that when students still can't work out 6 x 6 at age 14 I do wonder why we are expected to teach them how to work out the area of a triangle or trapezium.

[murraymints]

Factor...quads were my fav...

[factor-fiction]

Because of the pressure on schools to achieve targets in Maths and English schools now provide all sorts of intervention strategies such as additional lessons and one-to-one support for targeted students. But for those students who are not interested in learning it is a thankless task. You can take a horse to water...

[EvianBaby]

Dont be so hard on people that have problems with maths. You frequently (rightly) see on this site people defending the poor spelling / grammar of others, stating its not fair to pick people up on it because they may have problems in that area and the same should be applied for maths.

Maths actually scares me because i am so poor at even basic sums. I knew the answe to the questions but to work it out i had to break it down as i always do into sets. So work out what 10% is then half is for the 5 and double it to make 20. Long winded but its the only way i can do it. And Factor, without some serious thinking no, i cant tell you what 6x6 is. Some people just struggle with maths in the same way others struggle with spelling.