Using Percentages Every Day

Percentages are used in everyday life in ways that we are so accustomed to, that we may not realize it. Imagine how your life might be different if you didn't use percentages. Think about how many times a day you see percentages in use when you go to a store to purchase something. If you need to get a loan for purchasing a car, or a house, you better understand percentages. And let's not forget tests and homework. Percentages are everywhere.

Shopping Percentages

If you are walking through the mall, watching advertisements on TV, or browsing through the coupon section of the local paper, you will undoubtedly come across examples of percentages. Stores use percentages to calculate the amount of profit margin, profit markup, and total sales price they should use on their products. When they advertise a sales, they will often issue a percentage off of the sales price. How often have you seen ads that promote "25% off" or "50% off"? Sometimes there will be a "buy one, get one free" sale. That's just another way of saying "50% off".

Loan Percentages

If you are in the market for a new car, or even a new house, you most likely will need help to finance the purchase. Many people don't have the financial resources to make a large purchase and will take out a loan for the purchase. Loans will be use percentages to calculate what is known as "interest". Interest is the way the lending institution makes money for loaning out money. If you have good credit, and have shown the institution that they have a strong chance of getting their loan back, then your interest rate will usually be lower.

Percentages in School

It would be hard to imagine how grades are calculated without percentages in school. When you take a test, or finish a homework assignment, often times you are graded on the percentage of problems you answered correctly. This is usually simplified to the "A,B,C,D,F" scale to simplify and compare the scores. As evil as percentages may have seemed in school, they are crucial for functioning in society.

The Sum Up and Help with Percentage Calculators

There are many more examples of percentages that are used in our daily lives. Try to become familiar with percentages and if you become adept at calculating and understanding percentages, you will most likely find yourself ahead of the game in your money calculations. For more help on understanding percentages, try finding and working on a percentage calculator or some of these other online calculators.

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