Michelle received a box of cookies. Of the cookies, 32 were chocolate chip and 18 were snickerdoodle. What percentage of the total cookies were chocolate chip?

Answer 1

The word "percentage" means how many out of a hundred. So, for example, the percentage 45% means 45 out of a 100, which you can write as a fraction 45/100. 45% and 45/100 mean the same thing.

In the problem, there are 32 chocolate chips cookies out of a total number of cookies 32+18 = 50. You can write this as the fraction 32/50.

To change that fraction into a percentage, you write 32 / 50 = p / 100. And figure out what p is.

To do this, you cross multiply. 32 x 100 = p x 50. So, p = 64.

64% of the total cookies were chocolate chip.