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Donata Leskauskaite

“This Changed My Life”: People React To Math Hack To Easily Calculate Percentages

Many of us have hardly retained anything from our school years, especially mathematics classes.

Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that adults tend to use their phone calculators to compute the most basic additions and subtractions.

But one calculator feature, which people might especially enjoy upon shopping during sales, is to be able to deduce a percentage off a number.

However, on the off and scary chance that one might find themselves devoid of their smartphones during Black Friday shopping for Christmas gifts, being able to calculate a percentage is undeniably a good skill to have.

A math hack has been circulating online that helps calculate percentages in an easier way

Image credits: gunsnrosesgirl3
Image credits: gunsnrosesgirl3

Selina, who runs the popular science-themed “gunsnrosesgirl3” X (formerly known as Twitter) account, shared a video on Monday (November 20) that could potentially revolutionize the way people calculate percentages.

One of the better-known methods to calculate percentages is to simply multiply the starting number by the percentage number as a fraction.

You can take a look at the simple method below

Image credits: Annie Spratt

Nevertheless, this method once again might often require the use of a calculator, for those who would identify themselves as not being the most mathematically knowledgeable people.

As a result, Selina’s video, which has been viewed 11.8 million times, exposes an easy hack to get around percentages.

You simply need to divide two numbers by ten and then multiply them by each other

Image credits: Joshua Hoehne

It demonstrates that you would simply need to divide two numbers by ten and then multiply them by each other.

As a result, it would look like this following example: 40 percent of 30 is 4 x 3, which equals 12.

Unilad has demonstrated the calculation with the example of a restaurant bill amounting to $87.50.

To get the 20 percent for, for example, your tip, you calculate 2 x 8.75, which would equal a tip of $17.50.

For example: 40 percent of 30 is 4 x 3, which equals 12

Image credits: ThisIsEngineering

“Something as neat and efficient as this will never be taught in public education,” an X user commented.

A person tried to challenge other X users with the following problem: “Now do 41% of 30…” to which a person replied: “That should be 4.1 x 3 = 12.3?”

Image credits: Mikhail Nilov

The person who challenged fellow X users with the seemingly complicated request went on to congratulate the individual who took up the challenge and wrote: “Bingo! I don’t know why the video didn’t show how to do it with numbers that do not finish with 0.”

In other math news, a trend branded “girl math” has taken social media by storm, which has seen women posting their hilarious reasoning when shopping, packing, and saving time and money.

An example of girl math consists of not paying $15 in shipping, and instead spending another $30 in order to benefit from the free shipping.

Many people had never seen the method before

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