If you’re someone who is not a math whiz, then it’s possible that even a simple question like ‘What is 4% of 400?’ can leave you scratching your head. But don’t worry, as the answer may surprise you! In this article, we will explore everything there is to know about this question, so read on to find out more!
What is 4%?
Before we get into the specifics of what 4% of 400 is, let’s first understand what 4% means. Essentially, 4% is a way of expressing a fraction or a part of a whole number. When we say something is 4%, it means that it makes up 4 parts out of 100 of the total (whatever that may be). For example, if we say that a company sold 4% of its products within the first hour, it means that out of 100 products, 4 were sold in the first hour.
What is 400?
Now that we know what 4% means, let’s move on to 400. It’s a common number that we come across in our daily lives, and it can represent different things depending on the context. For instance, it could be the number of pages in a book, the number of students in a school, or the number of seats in a movie theater.
What is 4% of 400?
So, what is 4% of 400? To find out, we can use a simple formula:
(Percentage / 100) * Total = Result
Using this formula, we can calculate that:
(4 / 100) * 400 = 16
Therefore, the answer is 16.
But Why Should We Care About It?
You might be wondering why we should even bother knowing what 4% of 400 is. Well, the truth is that this simple question can have various practical applications. For instance:
Calculating Sales Tax
When you go shopping, you might notice that the sales tax is always a percentage of the total cost. By understanding how percentages work, you can easily calculate the sales tax on a given item. Let’s say you bought a product that costs $400 and the sales tax is 4%. To calculate the amount of tax you need to pay, you can use the same formula that we used earlier:
(4 / 100) * 400 = 16
So, you would need to pay $16 in tax on top of the product’s original cost.
Understanding Discounts
Discounts are also often represented in percentages. For instance, if a store is offering a 20% discount on a product that originally costs $400, you can use a similar formula to calculate the final price:
Total – (Discount / 100) * Total = Final Price
In this case:
400 – (20 / 100) * 400 = 320
So, the final price would be $320, after the discount.
Other Interesting Facts About 4% of 400
In addition to its practical applications, there are a few other interesting things to note about 4% of 400:
It’s a Fraction
Using the formula that we used earlier, we can see that 4% of 400 is equal to 16. However, we can also represent it as a fraction, which would be 16/400. This fraction can be simplified to 1/25.
It’s the Same as 400% of 4
Another interesting fact is that 4% of 400 is the same as 400% of 4. This is because when we say ‘X% of Y’, we can also express it as ‘Y% of X’. So, in this case, we can say that 4% of 400 is the same as 400% of 4. To calculate the second equation, we can use the same formula as before:
(400 / 100) * 4 = 16
Final Thoughts
As we’ve seen, a simple question like ‘What is 4% of 400?’ can have various practical applications and interesting facts. By understanding how percentages work, we can make better financial decisions, and even impress our friends with our math skills!
Common Questions and Answers
- Q: What is a percentage?
- A: A percentage is a number expressed as a fraction of 100.
- Q: What is a fraction?
- A: A fraction represents a part of a whole number.
- Q: What is a practical use of knowing percentages?
- A: Knowing percentages can help you calculate sales tax, discounts, and even tips at restaurants.
- Q: What is the formula for calculating percentages?
- A: (Percentage / 100) * Total = Result.
References
- Math Is Fun. Percentages. https://www.mathsisfun.com/percentage.html
- Cool Math. Decimals, Fractions and Percentages. https://www.coolmath.com/prealgebra/decimals/06-decimals-fractions-percentages-intro-01