In the past you paid $800 per month to rent your apartment. You now pay $900 per month for your rent. What is the percent increase in your rent? Can you explain how to solve it please? Thank You

Question

cathyangs · Answer

Do you know what a percentage is? Especially percentages that are increases, where 900 is more than 100% of 800. Let me know what you do understand about this so I can help you.

anonymous · Answer

I know a percent is basically a fraction but put in another form. So it is a part of something whole. What I do not understand is that do I use a proportion to solve it or what?

cathyangs · Answer

You can use a proportion, but I don't think that's the strategy they'd want you to use if you're dealing with percentages. Rather:

1) find the change in dollars from Initial to Final
800 + change = 900
change = + 100

2) find this as a percentage of the Initial
100 / 800 * 100% = 12.5% 

Thus, there is a 12.5% increase from 800 to 900. 

Does this make sense?

anonymous · Answer

So you find the percent of change basically?

cathyangs · Answer

Yep! In this case, the change was a positive change.