More Solving with Percents

In the last few lessons, you have been working on identifying the components given in a word problem and identifying the component you are being asked to find.  You worked on some examples in the previous lesson.  Let’s work on some additional  examples.


Nathaniel took a friend out to dinner.  The bill came to $57.00.  He decided to leave a 20% tip.  What was the total amount he spent on dinner?

The first step is identifying the components of the problem.

WHOLE = dinner cost   PERCENT = tip percentage    PART = tip amount

PART = WHOLE x PERCENT

57 x .2 = 11.40

11.40 would be the PART (the tip).

To find the total amount spent for the dinner, you need to add the cost of the dinner and the tip.

57.00 + 11.40 = $68.40


Let’s look at another example.

Sarah wanted to buy a jacket priced at $56.00.   She had a coupon that would save her 15%.  What would the jacket cost after applying the coupon?

WHOLE = jacket price  PERCENT = coupon amount  PART = savings/discount

PART = WHOLE x PERCENT

56 x .15 = 8.40

The final price after applying the discount is the original price – the discount

56 – 8.40 = $47.60