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      Use knowledge of calculating 50%, 10% and 1% of a number to solve problems in a range of contexts

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can calculate 50%, 10% and 1% of a number and use this to solve problems.

      Key learning points

      1. To find 50% of a number, halve it.
      2. To find 10% of a number, divide it by 10
      3. To find 1% of a number, divide it by 100

      Keywords

      • Percentage - A percentage is a proportion of a whole.

      Common misconception

      Pupils may struggle when finding 10% or 1% of numbers that include zero.

      Draw attention to zero being a placeholder within specific numbers. Some pupils may still need to use resources such as number cards and place value charts to physically move the digits to develop their confidence in dividing by 10 and 100

      Teacher tip

      Pupils need to be competent dividing numbers, including decimal numbers, by 10 and 100 prior to this lesson. Draw attention to finding 50% as being equivalent to diving by 2 or finding half, and finding 10% as being equivalent to dividing by 10 or finding one-tenth.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Percent means the number of parts in each .

      Correct Answer: 100, hundred, one hundred

      Q2.
      Look at the image. What is the missing numerator?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 20

      Q3.
      $$ {5} \over {20} $$ of the beads in the bracelet are purple. What percentage of the beads is this?

      An image in a quiz
      5%
      20%
      Correct answer: 25%
      50%

      Q4.
      Match the percentages and fractions.

      Correct Answer:80%,$$ {4} \over {5} $$
      Correct Answer:70%,$$ {7} \over {10} $$
      Correct Answer:25%,$$ {1} \over {4} $$

      Q5.
      Match the decimals and percentages.

      Correct Answer:0.19,19%
      Correct Answer:0.09,9%
      Correct Answer:0.9,90%
      Correct Answer:0.3,30%

      Q6.
      Look at the sets of fractions, decimals and percentages. Which set is correct?

      75% = 0.75 = $$ {2} \over {4} $$
      Correct answer: 75% = 0.75 = $$ {3} \over {4} $$
      75% = 0.075 = $$ {3} \over {4} $$

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      How do we calculate the percentages shown here?

      Correct Answer:50% of a number ,Halve the number
      Correct Answer:10% of a number ,Divide the number by 10
      Correct Answer:1% of a number ,Divide the number by 100

      Q2.
      One of the stages of the Tour de France race is 170 km long. Match the percentage of the race to the number of km.

      Correct Answer:100% of 170 km,170 km
      Correct Answer:50% of 170 km,85 km
      Correct Answer:10% of 170 km,17 km
      Correct Answer:1% of 170 km,1.7 km

      Q3.
      A different stage of the Tour de France is 208 km long. If a rider has completed 1% of the race, how far have they ridden?

      20.8 km
      28 km
      0.28 km
      Correct answer: 2.08 km

      Q4.
      If 100% of a number is 1,500, what is 1% of the number?

      Correct Answer: 15

      Q5.
      If 10% of a number is 23.5, what is 100% of the number?

      Correct Answer: 235

      Q6.
      50% of a number is 56 Use this fact to find the other percentages.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer:100%,112
      Correct Answer:10%,11.2
      Correct Answer:1%,1.12

      To help you plan your 6 maths lesson on: Use knowledge of calculating 50%, 10% and 1% of a number to solve problems in a range of contexts, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...