Percentage question - elementary math

[newtohobby]

call me dumb or what but my kid had a question and I can't figure it out. The answer is 35%, can anybody tell me how u get it. Thanks

Department A has 40 wooden desks and 120 metal desks. Department B has 90 wooden desks and 60 metal desks. What is the difference between the percentages of wooden desks in each department?

 

[DistantVoyeur]

call me dumb or what but my kid had a question and I can't figure it out. The answer is 35%, can anybody tell me how u get it. Thanks

Department A has 40 wooden desks and 120 metal desks. Department B has 90 wooden desks and 60 metal desks. What is the difference between the percentages of wooden desks in each department?

Simple in A: 40 of 160 are wooden, thus 25%
in B: 90 of 150 are wooden, thus 60%

Difference equals 60% - 25% = 35%

 

[papasmerf]

55%.

 

[MuffDiver]

40 wooden desks out of 160 total desks is 25%
90 wooden desks out of 150 total desks is 60%

Difference between 60% and 25% is 35%

 

[shack]

55%.

You probably used the same logic that goes into your arguments against trying to combat global warming.

 

[papasmerf]

You probably used the same logic that goes into your arguments against trying to combat global warming.

No actually I picked a number from the air.........Hey wait that is how the sky is falling crowd does it too

 

[petitelover]

Pick mult choice "c" when in doubt!

 

[shack]

No actually I picked a number from the air.........Hey wait that is how the sky is falling crowd does it too

Okay. That was funny.

 

[shack]

But its a really stupid question.
What purpose would knowing THAT be?

The purpose is in training young minds how to figure things out.

 

[shack]

Think it through and I believe you'll end up with a useless number.
There are much better analogies that could have been drawn.

Think it through until you realise that the purpose is to get the student to figure out percentages and whether or not it's a meaningful number is irrelevant and does not affect how hard the student will try to get it right.

 

[Meister]

You cannot calculate the difference between two percentages that relate to two different totals. That's something a school teacher must have come up with.

 

[WhaWhaWha]

Do Metal desks cause infertility?

 

[oldjones]

You cannot calculate the difference between two percentages that relate to two different totals. That's something a school teacher must have come up with.

Actually, you can calculate it—and several posters did—but the calculation means nothing in real-world terms.

 

[Meister]

Actually, you can calculate it—and several posters did—but the calculation means nothing in real-world terms.

Well if you think that subtracting 8 apples from 11 oranges is OK then I guess it can be done.

 

[DistantVoyeur]

Well if you think that subtracting 8 apples from 11 oranges is OK then I guess it can be done.

Geneticists do it all the time now, you end up with 3 orapples

 

[LancsLad]

Geneticists do it all the time now, you end up with 3 orapples

Al Gore hooked them all up and created the orapple network.





No really its true, he said so, tipper told him too.

 

[Meister]

Al Gore hooked them all up and created the orapple network.

Soon after he turned this network into the orapple super highway.

 

[xdog]

Didn't Al Gore invent the apple?

x

 

[Meister]

Yes, he was the inspiration for Steve Jobs.

 

[daKoolGuy]

iOrapple ....but do check with Cisco for copyright violations