What you’ll learn
Find the whole from a percent and part.
Key idea
Recovering the whole reverses multiplication by the fractional percent.
Recovering a whole requires the inverse operation; both entries of the constructed answer must retain bead units.
Worked example
Enter the exact value or ordered values in the format requested below.
A collection's 5% part contains 17 beads. Find the whole collection with the bead unit.
- The equation is 17=(5/100)×whole.
- Divide by 1/20 to obtain a whole of 340 beads.
Answer: 340 beads
Quick Check
Evaluate a worked attempt at find the whole from a percent and part, identify the first invalid step, and provide the correction.
A student writes Step 1: 12 beads are 15/100 of the whole. Step 2: the whole is 12×15/100=9/5 beads. Identify the first invalid step and correct it.