Calculate Percentage: Finding Yellow Candles in a Set of 54

Q: Why do I multiply by 100 when finding percentages?

The word percent means 'out of 100.' When you multiply by 100, you're converting the decimal form (like 0.11) into 'how many out of 100' (like 11%).

Q: Should I round 11.11% to 11% or keep it exact?

It depends on the context! For this problem, 11% is the most reasonable answer since we're dealing with whole candles. In real life, percentages are often rounded to whole numbers.

Q: Can I simplify the fraction 6/54 first?

Yes! $ \frac{6}{54} = \frac{1}{9} $ by dividing both by 6. Then $ \frac{1}{9} \times 100 = 11.11\ldots $. Simplifying first often makes calculations easier!

Q: What if I calculated 89% instead of 11%?

You probably found the percentage of non-yellow candles by mistake! That's 48 out of 54 candles. Always double-check which quantity the question is asking for.

Q: How do I check if my percentage answer makes sense?

Ask yourself: 'Does this seem reasonable?' Since 6 out of 54 is a small portion, the percentage should be low (around 10%), not high (like 50% or 90%).

Q: Is there a shortcut for percentage problems?

Convert to simpler fractions when possibleUse benchmarks: 1/10 = 10%, 1/4 = 25%, 1/2 = 50%Since 6/54 ≈ 1/9, and 1/9 is slightly more than 1/10 = 10%

Percentage Calculations with Simple Fractions

Roland counts the candles in the box and discovers that it contains 54 candles, 6 of which are yellow.

What is the percentage of yellow candles?

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Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

Roland counts the candles in the box and discovers that it contains 54 candles, 6 of which are yellow.

What is the percentage of yellow candles?

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll determine what percentage of the candles are yellow:

Step 1: Use the formula for a percentage: $\text{Percentage of yellow candles} = \left( \frac{\text{Number of yellow candles}}{\text{Total number of candles}} \right) \times 100$
Step 2: Plug in the given numbers: The number of yellow candles is 6, and the total number of candles is 54.
Step 3: Calculate the fraction and convert to percentage: $\frac{6}{54} \times 100$

Let's calculate:
$\frac{6}{54} = 0.1111\ldots$ (repeating decimal).
Then, convert to a percentage:
$0.1111\ldots \times 100 = 11.11\ldots$ which we round to the nearest whole number, resulting in 11%.

Therefore, 11% of the candles in the box are yellow.

Final Answer

11%

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Formula: Percentage = (part ÷ total) × 100
Technique: Calculate $\frac{6}{54} \times 100 = 11.11\ldots$ then round
Check: 11% of 54 = 0.11 × 54 = 5.94 ≈ 6 yellow candles ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Forgetting to multiply by 100
Don't just calculate 6/54 = 0.111... and call that your answer = decimal not percentage! This gives you the decimal form, not the percentage. Always multiply by 100 to convert decimal to percentage.

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 multiply by 100 when finding percentages?

The word percent means 'out of 100.' When you multiply by 100, you're converting the decimal form (like 0.11) into 'how many out of 100' (like 11%).

Should I round 11.11% to 11% or keep it exact?

It depends on the context! For this problem, 11% is the most reasonable answer since we're dealing with whole candles. In real life, percentages are often rounded to whole numbers.

Can I simplify the fraction 6/54 first?

Yes! $\frac{6}{54} = \frac{1}{9}$ by dividing both by 6. Then $\frac{1}{9} \times 100 = 11.11\ldots$ . Simplifying first often makes calculations easier!

What if I calculated 89% instead of 11%?

You probably found the percentage of non-yellow candles by mistake! That's 48 out of 54 candles. Always double-check which quantity the question is asking for.

How do I check if my percentage answer makes sense?

Ask yourself: 'Does this seem reasonable?' Since 6 out of 54 is a small portion, the percentage should be low (around 10%), not high (like 50% or 90%).

Is there a shortcut for percentage problems?

Convert to simpler fractions when possible
Use benchmarks: 1/10 = 10%, 1/4 = 25%, 1/2 = 50%
Since 6/54 ≈ 1/9, and 1/9 is slightly more than 1/10 = 10%

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