How do you get percentages?

A percentage can be solved by multiplying a given quantity by a percent. It should be noted, however, that the percent should first be divided by the numeral 100 before doing the multiplication.

A common situation wherein knowing how to get percentages is helpful is when out shopping during a sale. For example, a sweater is originally $150 but has a 20% discount. To obtain the percentage, or the amount saved, the percent value is first divided by 100, making it 20/100, or 0.2. The answer is then multiplied by the original price: 0.2 X $150, giving an answer of $30 saved. This means the sweater is now only $120.