Decimals and Percents
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Some background:
If you raise my $50,000 salary by 10% this year, but then get a 10% pay cut next year, why don’t you end up where you started? Percents can be tricky! When working with decimals and percents, students work through many application problems involving increase and decrease, and often involve fractions.
Topics usually covered:
Converting between fractions, decimals, and percents, working with repeating and terminating decimals, and finding percent of change are all topics covered in middle school. Units on percents often have lots and lots of word problems, as there is plenty of opportunity for application. In Algebra, ratios and rates are introduced along with conversion factors.
Typical problem areas:
Students can struggle with the application problems in percent and decimal units. Especially tricky are the problems where the percent of change and the new amount are given, and students have to find the original amount. Converting units in rates is also a challenging topic, but a very important fundamental to get accustomed to; usage of the correct units becomes very important in later math courses and especially in physics.
Can working with a tutor help?
A math tutor accustomed to working with younger children can help establish solid math fundamentals and a strong foundation for later courses. Working one on one over our high definition video and whiteboard, we can help them get off to a great start.