Identify the Quantities
Determine which number is the part, which is the percent, and which represents the entire amount.
Free Interactive Math Tool
Percent Word Problems
Practice finding the part, whole, percent, and percent change in discounts, tips, taxes, grades, markups, and other real-world situations.
Learn How the Part, Percent, and Whole Fit Together
Learn how to identify the unknown quantity, convert a percent to a decimal, choose the correct equation, and interpret the answer in context.
Read the Percent Word Problems GuideHow It Works
Identify What the Problem Is Asking For
Most percent problems connect three quantities: the part, the percent, and the whole.
Find the Unknown
Decide whether the problem asks for the part, the whole, the percent, or the amount of change.
Use the Relationship
Start with part = percent × whole, then rearrange the relationship when another quantity is unknown.
Interpret the Answer
Include dollars, percent, people, points, or the other unit that gives the result meaning.
Interactive Practice
Solve the Percent Problem
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Find the Part
MediumA backpack costs $80 and is discounted by 25%.
How many dollars is the discount?
Your Response
Find the discount amount.
Convert 25% to a decimal and multiply it by the original price.
$
dollars
Correct!
You found the percent of the original amount.
Problem
Find 25% of $80
Answer
$20
Convert 25% to 0.25, then multiply: 0.25 × 80 = 20. The discount is $20.
Helpful Strategies
Use One Relationship in Several Ways
The equation part = percent × whole can be rearranged to match the quantity the problem asks you to find.
Identify Part and Whole
The part is a portion of the total. The whole is the complete amount or original reference value.
Convert the Percent
Divide the percent by 100 before multiplying or dividing in the percent equation.
Match the Unknown
Multiply to find the part. Divide to find a missing whole or a missing percent.
Check the Meaning
Decide whether the result should represent money, people, points, percent, or a final changed amount.
Real-World Applications
Where Percent Problems Appear
Discounts and Markups
Calculate sale discounts, retail markups, final prices, and the amount saved.
Tips and Sales Tax
Find the tip or tax amount and add it to the original cost to determine the total.
Grades and Surveys
Convert correct answers, responses, or groups into percentages of a total.
Growth and Decrease
Describe how prices, populations, measurements, and other quantities change relative to an original value.
Practice Another Percent Problem
Every new situation gives you another opportunity to identify the unknown, choose the correct calculation, and explain what the result means.