The Three Types of Percent Problems

• Identify the rate in a percent problem

• identify the base in a percent problem
• identify the amount in a percent problem
• solve the three types of percent problems

Definition: Base, Amount, and Rate

The base, denoted B, is the whole in a problem. It is the standard used for
comparison.
The amount, denoted A, is the part of the whole being compared to the
base.
The rate, denoted R, is the ratio of the amount to the base. It is written as
a percent.

Identifying rates:

What is 20% of 350?

40% of what number is 72?
20 is what percent of 80?

Identifying bases:

What is 20% of 350?

40% of what number is 72?
20 is what percent of 80?

Identifying amounts:

What is 20% of 350? (20% of 350 is what?)

40% of what number is 72?
20 is what percent of 80? (What percent of 80 is 20?)
In the following problems, identify the rate, the base, and the amount.

#1: 150 is 20% of 750. R = 20% B = 750 A = 150

#2. 200 is 40% of 500. R = 40% B = 500 A = 200

In the following problems, identify what you are being asked to find (the rate, the
base, or the amount). Don’t solve the problem (yet).

#3. 80 is what percent of 400? Find the Rate.

#4. What percent of 150 is 30? Find the Rate.

#5. What is 60% of 250? Find the Amount.

#6. 150 is 75% of what number? Find the Base.

#7. 22% of Shirley’s monthly salary is deducted for withholding. If those

deductions total $209, what is her salary?
Find the Base.

#8. A can of mixed nuts contains 80% peanuts. If the can holds 16 ounces,
how many ounces of peanuts does it contain? Find the Amount.

#9. In a shipment of 750 parts, 75 were found to be defective. What percent of

the parts were faulty? Find the Rate.
In general when we solve percent problems, one of the 3 pieces, the rate, base,
or amount is missing. We have to identify what is missing and find it! To find it,
we use the percent proportion (or we can set up an equation as we did last time).

A r
B = 100 where A is the amount, B is the base, and r is the rate (without the %
sign. i.e. if R = 25%, then we just use r = 25.)

Solve the following problems:

#3. 80 is what percent of 400? R = 20%

#4. What percent of 150 is 30? R = 20%

#5. What is 60% of 250? A = 150

#6. 150 is 75% of what number? B = 200

#7. 22% of Shirley’s monthly salary is deducted for withholding. If those

deductions total $209, what is her salary?

Shirley’s salary is $950 per month.

#8. A can of mixed nuts contains 80% peanuts. If the can holds 16 ounces,
how many ounces of peanuts does it contain?

The can holds 12.8 ounces of peanuts.

The can holds 1245 ounces of peanuts.

#9. In a shipment of 750 parts, 75 were found to be defective. What percent of

the parts were faulty?

10% of the parts were faulty.

#10. 20% of 400 is what number? (find the amount)

A = 80

#11. What is 75% of 120?

A = 90

#12. 51 is what percent of 850? (find the rate) R = 6%

#13. 14 is what percent of 200? R = 7%

#14. 7% of what number is 42? (find the base) B = 600

#15. 16% of what number is 192? B = 1200

#16. Find 160% of 2000. A = 3200

#17. What percent of 15,000 is 18,000? R = 120%

#18. 140% of what number is 350? B = 250

#19. En Ethernet network transmits a maximum packet size of 1,500 bytes.
1.7% of each packet is “overhead.” How much information (in bytes) in a
maximum-size packet is overhead?

25.5 bytes of the 1500 byte packet is overhead.

#20. In some communities, “green” laws require that 40% of a lot remains green
(covered in grass or other vegetation). How much green space is required in a
12,680-square-foot lot?

5072 square feet of the lot must remain green.

#21. A state sales tax rate is 3.5%. If the tax on a purchase was $7, what was
the price of the purchase?

The purchase price of the item was $200.

#22. A college finds that 42% of the students taking a foreign language are
enrolled in Spanish. If 1,512 students are taking Spanish, how many foreign
language students are there?

The college has 3600 foreign language students.