🧱 See It
Picture a grid of 100 tiny squares — 10 rows of 10. Percent just tells you how many of those 100 squares are colored in. Color in 25 of them and you've shown 25%.
25 colored squares out of 100 total squares = 25%.
✏️ Draw It
Now use the same 100-square grid to picture a discount. The whole grid is the original price. A "30% off" sale means 30 of those squares get taken away from what you pay — only the rest is left on your bill.
30 faded squares = the part taken off (the discount). 70 colored squares = the part you still pay for.
Two separate things happened: squares got removed, and then what's left is your new total. A discount is always a two-step story, never one.
🔢 Write It
To turn a percent into math, drop the "%" and divide by 100 — that gives you a decimal:
20% = 20 ÷ 100 = 0.20
To find the discount amount, multiply the decimal by the original price. Example: 20% off $50.
0.20 × $50 = $10
That $10 is not the sale price — it's just how much gets taken off. To get the actual final price, subtract it from the original:
$50 − $10 = $40
💡 Worked Examples
Example 1 — Find 25% of 60
- Turn the percent into a decimal:
25% = 0.25 - Multiply:
0.25 × 60 = 15 - Answer: 15
Example 2 — Sale price after 30% off $80
- Turn the percent into a decimal:
30% = 0.30 - Find the discount amount:
0.30 × $80 = $24 - Subtract from the original to get the final price:
$80 − $24 = $56 - Discount amount: $24. Final price: $56.