Final answer:
To find the percentage change in Manuel's plant height, you subtract the original height from the new height, divide by the original height, and multiply by 100. The plant grew from 37 cm to 39.5 cm, resulting in a 6.76 percent increase in height.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked about calculating the percentage change in the height of a plant. To find the percentage increase or decrease, we can use the formula:
Percentage Change = ((New Value - Original Value) / Original Value) * 100%
In this case, Manuel's plant grew from 37 cm to 39.5 cm. Using the formula:
Percentage Change = ((39.5 cm - 37 cm) / 37 cm) * 100%
Percentage Change = (2.5 cm / 37 cm) * 100%
Percentage Change = 0.0676 * 100%
Percentage Change = 6.76%
Therefore, the height of the plant increased by 6.76 percent from last week to this week.
Note: This calculation pertains to an increase as the new measurement is greater than the original measurement. So, we refer to this as a percentage increase.