Understanding the problem
You are told that 15% of a certain number equals 12. The goal is to find that number.
Convert the percentage to a decimal
Percentages are out of 100, so 15% can be written as a fraction of 100. To make it easier to work with in calculations, convert 15% to its decimal form:
15%=10015=0.15
Set up the equation
Now, let’s represent the unknown number as xx. The statement “15% of xx is 12″ can be written mathematically as:
0.15×x=12
Solve for xx
To find xx, we need to isolate it on one side of the equation. Currently, xx is being multiplied by 0.15, so to undo that multiplication, we divide both sides of the equation by 0.15:
x=0.1512
Perform the division
Now, we perform the division:
x=0.1512=80
So, the number you are looking for is 80.
Verify the answer
To verify, we can check if 15% of 80 is indeed 12:
0.15×80=12
Since this is correct, we conclude that the number is 80.
Conclusion:
15% of 80 is 12, so the number you were looking for is 80.
