When do we use percentages (examples)?

Provide each group of learners with a list of real life situations in which percentages may be involved.

Ask the learners:

• How might percentages occur in each of these situations?
• Can you think of other situations in which percentages are used?

Share the ideas from each group.

Important points are:

• Percentages are used in situations where the whole varies, eg Goalkickers take different numbers of shots, people borrow different amounts of money.
• Percentages can be more than 100% in comparison situations, eg Lambing percentages are usually between 150-200% where the number of lambs is compared to the number of ewes.
• Percentages must be no more than 100% in “out of” situations, eg Jenny goals 35 out of 60 shots in netball.
• Percentages are special types of fractions with denominators (bottom numbers) of 100, eg One quarter is 25 hundredths (25/100).