Introduction

News reports often mention the results of surveys and studies in ‘per cent’. Literally, ‘per cent’ means ‘per one hundred’, so ‘25 per cent’ means ‘25 out of one hundred’. A per cent is just a specific kind of fraction – one that always has 100 as its denominator.

This week, you will start your study of percentages. This will continue in Week 6, when you will use percentages in a variety of different everyday situations. Whether you are shopping around for the best deal, or reading an article online, understanding percentages can be useful in your everyday life. Don’t forget, you can also use all your knowledge about fractions, because that’s what percentages really are. Keep this in mind as you work your way through the activities here. The activities will give you the chance to build your confidence with a concept that can at first seem quite challenging.

First watch Maria introduce Week 5.

After this study week, you should be able to:

• convert between fractions, decimals and percentages
• work out a percentage of a number
• write one number as a percentage of another
• understand how percentages are used in everyday life.