Money games by Rate.com for percentages, decimals, and more!
Picture yourself standing in the middle of a busy city. Down the block, you see store after store filled with merchandise of all kinds, and you're surrounded by restaurants and other businesses there to serve your every need, for a price. Can you imagine the amount of money that flows within just that one city? It's a lot. Everywhere you go, everything you see costs money. Our world revolves around money, which is why it's important to learn the skills you need to manage your finances.
The best way to learn is by starting out with the basics. You're probably already learning about a lot of important money-related topics in math class, though you might not have realized how important this knowledge will be in your adult life. Fractions, decimals, and percentages are the basic mathematical concepts on which all financial decisions are based. Having a strong understanding of these concepts will provide you with the ability to calculate, compare, consider, and convert money in any situation.
Percentages
A percentage is defined as a rate, number, or amount per hundred. It can represent any proportion in relation to a whole. With regard to money, we see percentages used in budgeting, sales tax, commissions, tipping, interest rates and discounts. For instance, whenever you go to a restaurant, when the check comes, you need to decide how much to leave the server as a tip. This amount is usually based on a percentage, typically 15% to 20% of the total bill, depending on the level of service provided. If your bill was $100 and you wanted to leave a 20% tip, you'd need to give the server $120.
Another place where you might encounter percentages is at any store. Let's say you have your eye on a new shirt that you want to buy. It's $40, but there's a 20% off sale going on right now. If you're good with percentages, you'll know that the sale will save you $8 on that shirt. This math comes in handy when you're trying to calculate how much you'll spend before getting in the checkout line.
- Penguin Waiter
- Percentages of Money Worksheet
- Sea Life Percentage Game
- Sales Tax and Discounts Quiz
- Percentage of Numbers Fishing Game
- Sense and Dollars: Credit Card Interest
Fractions
Similar to percentages, fractions represent a part of a whole. Take the classic example of a pizza. One pizza divided into four equal parts gives us four ¼-size pieces of pizza. Fractions are often used in money and finance as well. For example, when you go to the store, you may see a sign that says "Flash Sale: Everything ½ Off!" This means that all of the merchandise is half its original price, so that $40 shirt is now only $20. Or you may have heard your parents say, "Three quarters of our income goes toward the bills." That means that if they make $8,000 a month, then $6,000 goes toward paying their bills.
- Thinking Blocks Fractions
- Pecking Order Game: Fractions, Percents, and Decimals
- Fraction Game
- Dirt Bike Proportions
- Equivalent Fraction Finder
- Money Fractions Free Printable Worksheet
- Cyberchase Games: 13 Ways of Looking at a Half
Decimals
A decimal shows the numerical amount of a fraction or percentage. The fraction ¾ as a decimal is 0.75 (75/100). The percentage 50% as a decimal is 0.50. It's essential to know how to convert fractions and percentages to decimals so you can do the math needed to figure out problems. At the store, you will most likely see decimals when looking at the prices of products. While learning about decimals, it's also helpful to practice rounding. Marketing experts say that a person is more likely to buy something if the price is just a penny shy of the next whole number. For example, you will see many products that cost $1.99 or $4.99, as opposed to $2 and $5. Even though it's practically the same amount, our brains are more likely to buy it at $1.99 than at $2. But when you're aware of this and understand decimals and how to round them, you'll be able to see that $1.99 is practically $2.
- Lunch Lady Game
- Place Value Millionaire Game
- Fraction/Decimal/Percent Jeopardy
- Matching Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages
- Rounding Whole Numbers and Decimals