Lesson 16 Section 2

HOW TO TAKE HALF

OF ANY NUMBER
Back to Section 1

7. Which natural numbers are called the even numbers?

Numbers that can be divided into two equal parts.

8 is an even number because we can divide it "evenly" into two 4's.

4 is half of 8.
9 is not an even number. There is an "odd" 1:

Therefore we call 9 an odd number. We cannot take half of a natural

number that is odd. We cannot take half of 9 people
The even numbers, then, are the numbers divisible by 2: 2, 4, 6, 8, and
so on. The odd numbers are 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on.
If you do not know half of some even number, you can find it by
decomposing it mentally into two even numbers whose half you do know. We
saw how to do that in Section 1, Example 8.
Example 1. How much is half of 54?
Answer. Half of 54 = Half of 50 + Half of 4

= 25 + 2

= 27.
As for odd numbers, note that every odd number is equal to an even
number plus 1.
3 = 2 + 1.
5 = 4 + 1.
7 = 6 + 1.
9 = 8 + 1.
And so on.

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 Again, if a natural number is odd, then we cannot take half of it.
Therefore, we will now assume that we are not necessarily dealing with natural
numbers, and that 1 is now a continuous unit -- a unit we use to measure --
and that has a half: 1 minute, 1 centimeter, 1 pound, and so on. (Lesson 20.)

8. What number is half of 1?

("One-half")

must be one half of something. It is one half of 1.

Half of $1, of course, is $.50.

9. How can we take half of an odd number?

Half of 7

Take half of its even part, and add half of 1.

Example 2. How much is half of 7?

Answer. 7 = 6 + 1. Half of 6 is 3; half of 1 is ; therefore half of 7
is 3.
Half of $7.00 is $3.50.
Example 3. A scarf that normally sells for $17 is being sold at half
price. What do you pay?
Answer. 17 = 16 + 1. Half of 16 is 8. Therefore, half of $17 is $8.50.
Example 4. How much is half of 25%?
Answer. 12%.
25 = 24 + 1. Half of 24 is 12. Half of 1 is .
And so if you knew that 25% means a quarter, then you now know that
12% means an eighth.
(See Lesson 27, Example 7.)
Example 5 How much is half of $27.40?
Answer. We will take half of $27 and add it to half of $.40.
Since 27 = 26 + 1, then
Half of $27 is $13.50.
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 Half of $.40 is $.20.
Therefore, half of $27.40 is $13.70.
Example 6. How much is half of 90?
Answer. 90 = 80 + 10. Half of 80 is 40; half of 10 is 5; therefore half of 90
is 45.
See Problem 21.
Example 7. How much is half of $9.70?
Answer. Half of $9.00 (8 + 1) is $4.50. Half of $.70 is $.35. Therefore half
of $9.70 is $4.85.
Example 8. The famous number ("pi") is approximately 3.14. How

much is half of ; that is, ?
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Answer. Ignore the decimal point in 3.14. Then half of 300 is 150; half of 14
is 7; therefore half of 314 is 157. On replacing the decimal point,

1.57.
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10. How can we take a fourth or 25% of a number?

Take half of half.

To divide a number in Half means to divide it into two equal parts. To

divide it into Fourths, or quarters, means to divide it into four equal
parts. And we can do that by taking half of each Half.
A quarter is half of a half. Compare Lesson 15.
Example 9. How much is a fourth, or a quarter, of 60?
Answer. Half of 60 is 30. Half of 30 is 15.
Example 10. How much is 25% of 180?
Answer. 25% means a fourth. (Lesson 15.) Half of 180 is 90. Half of 90 is
45.
Example 11. How much is 25% of 112?
Answer. Half of 112 = Half of 100 + Half of 12 = 56.
Answer. Half of 56 = Half of 50 + Half of 6 = 25 + 3 = 28.
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Example 12. How much is 25% of $9.60?
Answer. Half of $9.60 = $4.50 + $.30 = $4.80. Half of $4.80 = $2.40

11. How can we multiply by 5?

5 123

Take half of the multiplication by 10.

Since 5 is half of 10, then 5 times a number will be half of 10 times that
number.

Example 13. 5 123 = Half of 10 123

Example 13 5 123 = Half of 1230 (Lesson 4, Question 1.)
Example 13. 5 123 = 615.
Example 14. 5 $1.50 = Half of $15
Example 14. 5 $1.50 = $7.50.
Example 15. 5 $46.80 = Half of $468
Example 15. 5 $46.80 = $234.

12. How can we take 5% of a number?

Take half of 10%.

Example 16. How much is 5% of $162?

Answer. 10% is $16.20. (Lesson 4, Question 7.) Therefore, 5% is $8.10.
To write .05 and multiply, is a written method for those who do not
understand percent.
Example 17. How much is 5% of $475?
Answer. 10% is $47.50. Therefore, 5% is $23.50 + $.25 = $23.75.

13. How can we multiply by 15?

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 15 8

Multiply by 10, and add half.

For, 15 = 10 + Half of 10.

Example 18. 15 8 = 80 + Half of 80
Example 18. 15 8 = 80 + 40
Example 18. 15 8 = 120.
Example 19. 15 42 = 420 + 210.
Example 19. 15 42 = 630.

14. How can we take 15% of a number?

Take 10% and add half.

Example 20. How much is 15% of $70??

Answer. 15% = 10% + Half of 10%

= $7.00 + $3.50

= $10.50.
Example 21. If you tip at the rate of 15%, and the bill is $40, how much do
you leave?
Answer. 15% = 10% + Half of 10%

= $4.00 + $2.00

= $6.00.

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 HOW TO TAKE HALF OF ANY NUMBER
PROBLEMS

21. In each column, calculate half of each number mentally.

21. 1 10 5 100 50
21. 2 1 20 10 200 100
21. 3 1 30 15 300 150
21. 4 2 40 20 400 200
21. 5 2 50 25 500 250
21. 6 3 60 30 600 300
21. 7 3 70 35 700 350
21. 8 4 80 40 800 400
21. 9 4 90 45 900 450

22. Calculate half mentally.

22. a) 11 5 b) 15 7 c) 17 8 d) 21 10

13 e) 23 11 f) 29 14 g) 33 16 h) 57 28

13. i) 28 14 j) 36 18 k) 52 26 l) 114 57

13 m) 130 65 n) 350 175 o) 560 280 p) 770 385

22 q) 7.90 3.95 r) 14.70 7.35 s) 15.30 7.65 t) 25.20 12.60

23 a) Two and a half times $9.00 = $18.00 + $4.50 = $22.50

23. b) Three and a half times $7.00? = $24.50
23. c) Four and a half times $11.00? = $49.50
23. d) Six and a half times $5.00? = $32.50

24. How much is a fourth or a quarter of these? (Take half of half. What
24. percent is this? 25% )
a) 64 16 b) 52 13 c) 56 14 d) 92 23

e) $1.08 _____ f) $6.12 $1.53 g) $10.32 $2.58 h) $18.04 $4.51

25. How much is 25% of these?

a) $9 $2.25 b) $14 $3.50

c) $21 $5.25 d) $50 $12.50

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e) $10.40 $2.60 f) $60.20 $15.05

g) $104.32 $26.08 h) $216.28 $54.07

26. a) How many seconds are there in a quarter of a minute?

10. a) (1 minute = 60 seconds) 15
26. b) How many seconds are in three quarters of a minute? 45

27. Multiplying by 5. Take half the multiplication by 10.

17. 5 24 = 120 5 18 = 90 5 141 = 705

27. 5 $5.40 = $27 5 $68.20 = $341 5 $30.50 = $152.50

28. How much is 5% of

a) $44? $2.20 b) $18? $.90

c) $68? $3.40 d) $150? $7.50

e) $127? $6.35 f) $325? $16.25

29. You invest $4,000 in a fund that earns 5% interest each year. If you
24. leave the money in the fund and do not touch it, then at the end of
24. two years, how much money will you have?
(Compare Problem 24, Lesson 4. Compound interest..)
$4,410. For, at the end of the first year, you will have earned 5%, or $200, in interest,
so that you now have $4,000 + $200 = $4,200. At the end of the second year, 5% of
that is $210. You now have $4,200 + $210 = $4,410.

30. Multiplying by 15.

13. a) 15 12 = 180 b) 15 16 = 240
18. c) 15 24 = 360 d) 15 46 = 690

31. How much is 15% of

19. a) $20? $3 b) $30? $4.50 c) $18? $2.70
19. d) $40? $6 e) $60? $9 f) $70? $10.50

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 HOW TO TAKE HALF OF ANY NUMBER
PROBLEMS
Return to the Lesson

21. In each column, calculate half of each number mentally.

21. 1 10 5 100 50
21. 2 1 20 10 200 100
21. 3 1 30 15 300 150
21. 4 2 40 20 400 200
21. 5 2 50 25 500 250
21. 6 3 60 30 600 300
21. 7 3 70 35 700 350
21. 8 4 80 40 800 400
21. 9 4 90 45 900 450

22. Calculate half mentally.

22. a) 11 5 b) 15 7 c) 17 8 d) 21 10

13 e) 23 11 f) 29 14 g) 33 16 h) 57 28

13. i) 28 14 j) 36 18 k) 52 26 l) 114 57

13 m) 130 65 n) 350 175 o) 560 280 p) 770 385

22 q) 7.90 3.95 r) 14.70 7.35 s) 15.30 7.65 t) 25.20 12.60

23 a) Two and a half times $9.00 = $18.00 + $4.50 = $22.50

23. b) Three and a half times $7.00? = $24.50
23. c) Four and a half times $11.00? = $49.50
23. d) Six and a half times $5.00? = $32.50

24. How much is a fourth or a quarter of these? (Take half of half. What
24. percent is this? 25% )

a) 64 16 b) 52 13 c) 56 14 d) 92 23

e) $1.08 $.27 f) $6.12 $1.53 g) $10.32 $2.58 h) $18.04 $4.51

25. How much is 25% of these?

a) $9 $2.25 b) $14 $3.50

c) $21 $5.25 d) $50 $12.50

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e) $10.40 $2.60 f) $60.20 $15.05

g) $104.32 $26.08 h) $216.28 $54.07

26. a) How many seconds are there in a quarter of a minute?

10. a) (1 minute = 60 seconds) 15
26. b) How many seconds are in three quarters of a minute? 45

27. Multiplying by 5. Take half the multiplication by 10.

17. 5 24 = 120 5 18 = 90 5 141 = 705

27. 5 $5.40 = $27 5 $68.20 = $341 5 $30.50 = $152.50

28. How much is 5% of

a) $44? $2.20 b) $18? $.90

c) $68? $3.40 d) $150? $7.50

e) $127? $6.35 f) $325? $16.25

29. You invest $4,000 in a fund that earns 5% interest each year. If you
24. leave the money in the fund and do not touch it, then at the end of
24. two years, how much money will you have?
(Compare Problem 24, Lesson 4. Compound interest..)

$4,410. For, at the end of the first year, you will have earned 5%, or $200, in interest, so
that you now have $4,000 + $200 = $4,200. At the end of the second year, 5% of that is
$210. You now have $4,200 + $210 = $4,410.

30. Multiplying by 15.

13. a) 15 12 = 180 b) 15 16 = 240
18. c) 15 24 = 360 d) 15 46 = 690

31. How much is 15% of

19. a) $20? $3 b) $30? $4.50 c) $18? $2.70
19. d) $40? $6 e) $60? $9 f) $70? $10.50