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Example 3.18 from Elementary Algebra, 3.2 Solve Percent Applications
Solve Percent Applications: example 3.18
In 2011, the California governor proposed raising community college fees from $26 a unit to $36 a unit. Find the percent increase. (Round to the nearest tenth of a percent.)
Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.
Solution
Step 1. Read the problem. Step 2. Identify what we are looking for. the percent increase Step 3. Name what we are looking for. Choose a variable to represent it. Let the percent. Step 4. Translate. Write a sentence that gives the information to find it. First find the amount of increase. new amount − original amount = increase Find the percent. Increase is what percent of the original amount? Translate into an equation. Step 5. Solve the equation. Divide by 26. Change to percent form; round to the nearest tenth. Step 6. Check. Does this make sense? Yes, 38.4% is close to , and 10 is close to of 26. Step 7. Answer the question with a complete sentence. The new fees represent a 38.4% increase over the old fees. Notice that we rounded the division to the nearest thousandth in order to round the percent to the nearest tenth.
Your turn
The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.
Find the percent increase. (Round to the nearest tenth of a percent.)
In 2011, the IRS increased the deductible mileage cost to 55.5 cents from 51 cents.
How did it go?