Max Maths, Year 5, Learn together, Finding percentages of simple quantities

In the Max Maths Year 5 curriculum, students learn to calculate percentages of simple quantities through a series of step-by-step examples. The process involves breaking down the percentage into more manageable parts. For instance, to find out what 20% of 30 is, one would start by calculating 10% of 30, which is simply 30 divided by 10, resulting in 3. Then, since 20% is double 10%, the answer is found by multiplying 3 by 2, giving us 6. Therefore, 20% of 30 equals 6.

Another example provided is finding 45% of 60. This is approached by first determining 10% of 60, which is 6, and then multiplying that by 4 to get 40%. To find the remaining 5%, one would take half of 10%, which is 3. Adding these two amounts together, 24 (from 40%) and 3 (from 5%), gives us a total of 27, so 45% of 60 is 27. Lastly, for a slightly more complex percentage like 17.5% of £40, the method involves finding 10%, 5%, and 2.5% of the amount. Ten percent of £40 is £4, 5% is half of that, which is £2, and 2.5% is half again, equating to £1. Summing these parts, £4, £2, and £1, we find that 17.5% of £40 is £7.