10 is 40 percent of what number?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
10 is 40 percent of 25.
Explanation (300 words)
To find what number 10 is 40% of, you can use a simple mathematical formula based on the concept of percentage. When a number is a certain percent of another number, the relationship can be written as: Part=Percent×Whole\text{Part} = \text{Percent} \times \text{Whole}
In this case:
- The Part is 10
- The Percent is 40%, or written as a decimal, 0.40
- The Whole is what we are trying to find (we can call it x)
So we write the equation: 10=0.40×x10 = 0.40 \times x
To find xx, divide both sides of the equation by 0.40: x=100.40x = \frac{10}{0.40} x=25x = 25
So, 10 is 40% of 25.
Understanding the Concept
Percentages are a way to express a portion of a whole as parts per hundred. Saying “40 percent” is the same as saying “40 out of every 100.” When you are told that “10 is 40 percent of what number,” you are essentially being asked to find the whole number that 10 represents 40% of.
This kind of problem is common in real life—for example, if someone scored 40% on a test and got 10 marks, you’d want to know what the total possible score was. That’s the “whole” you’re solving for.
Using this same method, you can solve similar problems by converting percentages into decimals and rearranging the equation depending on which part you need to find: the part, the percent, or the whole.