6 Using Percentages
Percentages are used in many aspects of bakery math. You can visualize percent problems in this form:
Let’s put this proportion into practice:
What is 20% of 140? You would set up the proportion like this:
100x = 140 20
100x =2800
x = 28
What percent of 250 is 30?
250x = 30 100
250x = 3000
x = 12
90 is 30% of what number?
90 100 = 30x
9000 = 30x
300 = x
With word problems, it is very important to pay close attention to the wording in order to solve them correctly. The easiest way to tell the difference between part and whole is that the number that comes after “of” is the whole.
There are 30 pounds of potatoes in the bin. Three pounds of potatoes are rotten. What percent of the potatoes are rotten?
You can rewrite this problem as: What percent of 30 is 3?
100 3 = 30x
300 = 30x
10 =x
10% of the potatoes are rotten.
Two cases of apricots cost $40. The wholesaler is giving you a 5% discount. How much will the discount be?
You can rewrite this problem as: What is 5% of 40?
100x = 40 5
100x = 200
x = 2
You will get a $2 discount.
Unemployment tax is 3% of a worker’s base wages. If the bakery owner pays $0.45 per hour in unemployment tax for a baker’s assistant, what are the assistant’s base wages per hour?
You can rewrite this problem as 0.45 is 3% of what?
0.45 100 = 3x
45 = 3x
15 = x
The assistant’s base salary is $15 per hour.
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Assignment
Purpose
To practice finding missing values in percent problems by using a proportion.
Outcomes
By completing this assignment, you will be able to…
- Read and understand real-world percent problems related to bakery math.
- Correctly set up the problems as proportions and solve for the missing value.
Instructions
To complete this assignment…
- Read the problems you are given.
- Determine what value you need to find, and set up the problem as a proportion.
- Solve the problem.
Tips for Success
To help in the completion of this assignment, make sure to:
- Read carefully to understand what value is missing.
- Round all answers to the nearest hundredth, if necessary.
Percentages Assignment
1) The capacity of the banquet room is 150 people. How many people are seated in the room if it is at 60% capacity?
2) About 52% of a pineapple is usable in food preparation. If Sahra prepared 33.8 ounces of pineapple chunks, how many ounces of whole pineapple did she begin with?
3) If you buy products valued at $342.57, and the wholesaler is giving you an 8% discount, how much will be discounted from this price?
4) Nimo bought a carton of strawberries, and he discovered that 35% of the strawberries were not yet ripe. If 4.2 pounds of strawberries were not ripe, how many pounds of strawberries were in the carton?
5) If the restaurant bill was $72.65, and the guest leaves a tip of $14.53, what was the percentage of the tip?
6) If the bake shop owner pays 2% of the server’s wages for worker’s