Question

Sam withdraws $250.00 from his bank account. This amount is 20% of his total savings. How much did he have in his back account originally?

Answer 1

1250

Explanation:

Look at it this way: 20% of his savings is 250. So 40% would be doubling that, so now we're at 250 + 250 which is 500. Alright, so continue to double it. 60% would be 500 + 250 = 750. 80% would be 750 + 250 = 1000. And 100% would be 1000 + 250 = 1250.

It's easy to look at these types of question when the percentage fits evenly into a hundred. So 10%, 5%, 25%, 50%, etc. The problem comes when numbers are odd, like 3, or even fractions, however, you appear to have a nice easy number to work with. Always start off by asking yourself, "can this divide evenly into 100?"