Hi - I was an English and Philosophy major. Can someone please tell me:

414 is what percent of 5,624?

Hi,

It is surprising at times how you can "mathematize" a question by parsing the English sentence. In mathematical sentences (called equations) the verb is the equal sign. "What", "when", "how fast", ... is the quantity required, usually designated by a letter such as x or y. Percent means "per one-hundred", or "out of one-hundred" or "over one-hundred". "Of" is multiplication, for example one-quarter of 20 is 5. Thus your sentence

414 is what percent of 5,624?
"mathematizes" to

414 = ( x/100) 5624
The question mark at the end of the sentences requests a solution for "what".



414 = ( x/100) 5624
so

 (414)(100)/5624 = 7.36 = x
Hence

414 is 7.36 percent of 5,624

Cheers,
Penny
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