Pokémon move accuracy maths mission

Quick answer

When a Pokémon uses a move, it has a chance of hitting its target. This chance is shown as a percentage called "accuracy". You can work out how often a move will succeed by using percentages.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will understand how to calculate how often a Pokémon move will hit its target using percentages, and you can work out real-life chances like your chances of getting a prize from a fair.

• You can find the number of successful hits from a move with a given accuracy
• You can compare the success chances of different moves
• You can calculate how many times a move will miss
• You can use percentages to solve problems about Pokémon moves

Why this matters

Understanding percentages helps you know how likely something is to happen. In Pokémon, you need to know if a move will work before you use it. This is the same as knowing how likely it is to rain, or if you'll get a prize from a game. Percentages help us make smart choices in real life too!

How it works

When a Pokémon uses a move, it has a chance to hit its target. This chance is shown as a percentage. For example, if a move has 90% accuracy, it means that 90 out of 100 times, the move will hit. To work out how many times a move hits, you can use simple multiplication.

Let's look at how to calculate this:

1. Find the accuracy percentage of the move
2. Think of 100 as the total number of times the move could be used
3. Work out how many times it will hit out of 100
4. If you're using the move more times, multiply the percentage by the number of uses

Examples you can see

Let's imagine you're playing a Pokémon game and your Pokémon is using a move called "Thunderbolt". This move has 95% accuracy.

First, think of 100 uses of the move:

• 95 times it will hit
• 5 times it will miss

If you use Thunderbolt 20 times:

20 × 95% = 20 × 0.95 = 19

So, Thunderbolt will hit 19 times out of 20.

Let's try another one. Your Pokémon uses "Flamethrower" which has 85% accuracy. If you use it 10 times:

10 × 85% = 10 × 0.85 = 8.5

Since you can't hit half a time, we round to the nearest whole number. So Flamethrower will hit about 9 times out of 10.

Here's a table showing how many times a move will hit with different accuracies:

Try it as a mini adventure

Imagine you're a Pokémon trainer on a mission to collect all the rare Pokémon in the wild! You have a team of Pokémon, and each one has different moves with different accuracy. Your goal is to find the best moves to use in battle.

Here's your challenge:

You are going to use your Pokémon's move "Dragon Claw" which has 90% accuracy. You plan to use it 15 times during your adventure.

1. How many times will Dragon Claw hit?
2. How many times will it miss?
3. Which move should you use if you want the most hits?

Let's solve it together:

1. 15 × 90% = 15 × 0.9 = 13.5
2. Round 13.5 to 14 hits
3. So, Dragon Claw will miss 15 - 14 = 1 time

Now, compare it with another move:

Your Pokémon has "Ice Beam" which has 85% accuracy. You use it 15 times:

15 × 85% = 15 × 0.85 = 12.75

Rounded to 13 hits

So, Dragon Claw is better because it hits more times!

Common mistakes

• Mistake: Thinking that 90% accuracy means it will hit 90 times out of 100 tries.
• Why it happens: Confusing percentage with a number.
• Fix: Remember that 90% means 90 out of 100, but if you use the move 10 times, you calculate 10 × 90%.

• Mistake: Forgetting to round when you get a decimal number.
• Why it happens: Not understanding that real-world hits must be whole numbers.
• Fix: Always round to the nearest whole number, like 13.5 becomes 14.

• Mistake: Adding percentages instead of multiplying.
• Why it happens: Misunderstanding how to find a part of a number.
• Fix: Remember to multiply the number of uses by the percentage (written as a decimal).

Parent and carer guide

As a parent or carer, you can help your child understand Pokémon move accuracy by:

• Playing Pokémon games together and discussing move accuracy
• Using everyday examples like rolling dice or spinning a wheel to show chance
• Practising percentages with real items like pizza slices or candies
• Encouraging your child to write down their calculations
• Using the table from this page to show patterns in accuracy

What to say:

• "Let's think about how many times this move will hit out of 10 tries."
• "What happens if we use the move 20 times?"
• "Can you tell me how to find 80% of 10?"

What not to worry about:

• Not knowing all the Pokémon moves
• Getting the exact numbers right on the first try
• Not being able to play Pokémon games

Practice questions

1. Use a move with 95% accuracy 10 times. How many times will it hit?
2. Use a move with 75% accuracy 20 times. How many times will it hit?
3. Use a move with 80% accuracy 15 times. How many times will it miss?
4. A move has 90% accuracy. If used 25 times, how many hits?
5. Which move is better: one with 85% accuracy or one with 70% accuracy? Explain why.

Answers:

1. 10 × 95% = 10 × 0.95 = 9.5 → 10 hits
2. 20 × 75% = 20 × 0.75 = 15 hits
3. 15 × 80% = 15 × 0.8 = 12 hits, so 15 - 12 = 3 misses
4. 25 × 90% = 25 × 0.9 = 22.5 → 23 hits
5. 85% is better because it has a higher chance of hitting. 85% is more than 70%.

FAQ

What does accuracy mean in Pokémon?

Accuracy means how likely a move is to hit its target. It is shown as a percentage, like 90% or 85%.

How do I calculate how many times a move will hit?

Multiply the number of times you use the move by the accuracy percentage (as a decimal). For example, 10 times with 90% accuracy = 10 × 0.9 = 9 hits.

Why do we round numbers when calculating hits?

We round because you can't have half a hit in real life. So 13.5 hits becomes 14 hits.

Can I use this maths in real life?

Yes! This is like working out how often something will happen. Like how often you'll win a game or how many times you'll get a prize from a fair.

What if I don't know all the Pokémon moves?

That's okay! You can still practice with any move. Just pick a percentage and use the same method to calculate hits.