Calculate Percentage: Finding Remaining Fields from 17 to Water After Harvest

Q: Why do I subtract 5 from 17 first?

You need to find how many fields still need watering. Since 5 fields are harvested and no longer need water, the remaining fields are $ 17 - 5 = 12 $. This is your numerator for the percentage calculation.

Q: Should I round 70.588% or keep it exact?

For most problems like this, rounding to the nearest whole percent is appropriate. $ 70.588\% \approx 70\% $. Check if your answer choices are rounded or exact to guide your decision.

Q: What if I accidentally calculate the percentage of harvested fields?

If you get around 29-30%, you probably used the harvested fields (5) instead of remaining fields (12). Remember: the question asks for fields that still need watering, not fields that are done!

Q: How can I check if 70% is reasonable?

Think logically: if 5 out of 17 fields are harvested, then more than half still need watering. 70% means about 7 out of 10 fields, which makes sense since $ \frac{12}{17} $ is more than $ \frac{1}{2} $.

Q: Can I use a different method to solve this?

Yes! You could also think: "What percentage is NOT harvested?" Since $ \frac{5}{17} \approx 29\% $ are harvested, then $ 100\% - 29\% = 71\% \approx 70\% $ still need watering.

Percentage Calculations with Remaining Quantities

A farmer regularly waters 17 fields.

5 of them are ready for harvest and no longer need watering.

What percentage of the fields does he need to continue water?

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Step-by-step written solution

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Understand the problem

A farmer regularly waters 17 fields.

5 of them are ready for harvest and no longer need watering.

What percentage of the fields does he need to continue water?

Step-by-step solution

First, we'll find out how many of the fields the farmer still needs to water. The total number of fields the farmer has is 17, and 5 fields are ready for harvest and don't need watering. Therefore, the number of fields that still need to be watered is:

$17 - 5 = 12$

Now we calculate what percentage 12 fields represent of the total 17 fields. Using the percentage formula:

$\text{Percentage} = \left( \frac{\text{Number of fields that need watering}}{\text{Total number of fields}} \right) \times 100\%$

Substitute the values into the formula:

$\text{Percentage} = \left( \frac{12}{17} \right) \times 100\%$

Calculating this gives:

$\text{Percentage} = \left( 0.70588 \right) \times 100\% \approx 70\%$

Thus, the farmer needs to continue watering approximately 70% of the fields.

The correct answer, therefore, is choice 3: 70%.

Final Answer

70%

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Rule: Subtract given amount from total to find remaining quantity
Technique: Use $\frac{\text{remaining}}{\text{total}} \times 100\%$ formula: $\frac{12}{17} \times 100\% = 70\%$
Check: Verify 70% of 17 fields equals 11.9 ≈ 12 fields ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Using harvested fields instead of remaining fields in percentage calculation
Don't calculate $\frac{5}{17} \times 100\% = 29\%$ using harvested fields! This gives the percentage of harvested fields, not fields still needing water. Always use the remaining quantity (17 - 5 = 12) in your percentage formula.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Approximately what is $\frac{11}{50}$ written as a percentage?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why do I subtract 5 from 17 first?

You need to find how many fields still need watering. Since 5 fields are harvested and no longer need water, the remaining fields are $17 - 5 = 12$ . This is your numerator for the percentage calculation.

Should I round 70.588% or keep it exact?

For most problems like this, rounding to the nearest whole percent is appropriate. $70.588\% \approx 70\%$ . Check if your answer choices are rounded or exact to guide your decision.

What if I accidentally calculate the percentage of harvested fields?

If you get around 29-30%, you probably used the harvested fields (5) instead of remaining fields (12). Remember: the question asks for fields that still need watering, not fields that are done!

How can I check if 70% is reasonable?

Think logically: if 5 out of 17 fields are harvested, then more than half still need watering. 70% means about 7 out of 10 fields, which makes sense since $\frac{12}{17}$ is more than $\frac{1}{2}$ .

Can I use a different method to solve this?

Yes! You could also think: "What percentage is NOT harvested?" Since $\frac{5}{17} \approx 29\%$ are harvested, then $100\% - 29\% = 71\% \approx 70\%$ still need watering.

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