Where percentages are used

A bakery plans 400 rolls a day. One day it bakes 500 rolls.

The rule

A marked price is the price on the tag.

Name the whole first. The whole is what you compare with. Then divide the part by the whole, and multiply by 100.

• A discount: the whole is the marked price on the tag.
• A mark sheet: the whole is the total marks.
• A target: the whole is the goal, like the 400 rolls planned.

A percentage passes 100 when the part is bigger than the whole. The bakery baked 500 rolls against a plan of 400. Divide: 500 ÷ 400 = 1.25. Then 1.25 × 100 = 125, so 125%. That is 125% − 100% = 25% more than the plan.

300% of an amount is three times that amount.