Finding 1 percent

Quick answer

Finding 1 percent of a number means dividing that number by 100. You can do this by moving the decimal point two places to the left.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to find 1 percent of any number by dividing it by 100.

Success signs:

• You can say what 1 percent means
• You can find 1 percent of 100, 200, 500, and 1000
• You can find 1 percent of smaller numbers like 50, 30, 10
• You can use a decimal point to help you find 1 percent

Why this matters

Knowing how to find 1 percent helps you understand bigger percentages like 10 percent, 25 percent, and 50 percent. It's like learning the basics of a secret code that helps you solve money problems, share food fairly, and understand how much of something you get.

When you go shopping, you might see a sale that says "Save 10 percent". If you know how to find 1 percent, you can quickly figure out how much 10 percent is by multiplying your answer by 10. You might even use this when splitting a pizza or sharing your allowance!

How it works

Finding 1 percent is simple. It means finding one part out of one hundred equal parts of a number. Think of it like sharing 100 sweets between 100 friends – each friend gets just one sweet.

There are two main ways to find 1 percent:

1. Divide by 100: Take the number and divide it by 100.
2. Move the decimal point: If you have a number like 250, move the decimal point two places to the left to get 2.50.

Let's look at how to do this step by step:

1. Start with your number (for example, 800)
2. Divide it by 100
3. You get the answer: 8

So 1 percent of 800 is 8.

Examples you can see

Here are some examples of finding 1 percent using both methods:

Try this with a few numbers:

• What is 1 percent of 300?
• What is 1 percent of 750?
• What is 1 percent of 1500?

Try it as a mini adventure

Imagine you are a treasure hunter and you find a map that shows a chest with 1000 gold coins. But the map says you can only take 1 percent of the coins. How many coins can you take?

Let's go on this adventure step by step:

1. First, count how many coins are in the chest: 1000 coins
2. Then, find 1 percent of 1000
3. Divide 1000 by 100
4. You get: 10 coins

You can take 10 coins from the chest! That's a good start to your treasure collection.

Let's try another one:

1. You have 400 stickers
2. You want to give 1 percent of them to your friend
3. Find 1 percent of 400
4. 400 ÷ 100 = ?
5. You give away ? stickers

What do you think the answer is? Can you figure out how many stickers you give away?

Common mistakes

Children sometimes make these mistakes when finding 1 percent:

• Mistake: Moving the decimal point the wrong way
• Why it happens: They might move it one place or three places instead of two
• Fix: Count carefully: one, two places to the left

• Mistake: Forgetting to add a decimal point when the number is a whole number
• Why it happens: They think the answer must be a whole number
• Fix: Remember that 1 percent of 100 is 1.00, which is just 1

• Mistake: Thinking 1 percent means dividing by 1
• Why it happens: They hear "percent" and think it's about one
• Fix: Remember percent means "per hundred", so it's always dividing by 100

Parent and carer guide

Helping your child with finding 1 percent is easy and fun!

What to say:

• "Can you find 1 percent of 200?"
• "How can we share 100 sweets so everyone gets 1 percent?"
• "Let's use the decimal point trick to find 1 percent"

What not to worry about:

• Your child might get confused with decimal points at first – that's normal
• They might mix up the number of places to move – practice makes perfect
• Don't worry if they take time to understand – learning takes time

How to help:

1. Use everyday objects like coins, stickers, or food
2. Practice with numbers that are easy to work with first
3. Make it a game: "Let's see who can find 1 percent fastest"

Practice questions

Try these questions to practice finding 1 percent:

1. What is 1 percent of 50?
2. What is 1 percent of 150?
3. What is 1 percent of 200?
4. What is 1 percent of 300?
5. What is 1 percent of 400?
6. What is 1 percent of 500?
7. What is 1 percent of 600?
8. What is 1 percent of 700?
9. What is 1 percent of 800?
10. What is 1 percent of 900?
11. What is 1 percent of 1000?

Answers:

1. 0.5
2. 1.5
3. 2
4. 3
5. 4
6. 5
7. 6
8. 7
9. 8
10. 9
11. 10

FAQ

What does 1 percent mean?

1 percent means 1 part out of 100 equal parts. It's like having 100 pieces and taking just 1 piece.

How do I find 1 percent of a number?

You divide the number by 100. You can also move the decimal point two places to the left.

Can I use 1 percent to find other percentages?

Yes! Once you know 1 percent, you can multiply that number by 10 to get 10 percent, or by 25 to get 25 percent.

Why do we need to know 1 percent?

It helps you understand bigger percentages and solve problems with money, sharing, and parts of things.

Is 1 percent the same as 0.01?

Yes! 1 percent is the same as 0.01 in decimal form.