Example

Finding the Percent Increase in Community College Fees

Apply the seven-step problem-solving strategy to find a percent increase. Problem: Recently, the California governor proposed raising community college fees from $36 a unit to $46 a unit. Find the percent change. (Round to the nearest tenth of a percent.) 1. Identify what to find: the percent change. 2. Name the unknown: Let pp = the percent. 3. Find the amount of change: Subtract the original fee from the new fee: 4636=1046 - 36 = 10. 4. Translate into an equation: 'Change is what percent of the original amount?' becomes '1010 is what percent of 3636?', which translates to 10=pimes3610 = p imes 36. 5. Solve by dividing both sides by 3636: 1036=p\frac{10}{36} = p, so p0.2777p \approx 0.2777. 6. Convert to percent form and round to the nearest tenth: p27.8%p \approx 27.8\%. 7. Check: Is this reasonable? Yes, 1010 is a little more than one-fourth of 3636, and 27.8%27.8\% is a little more than 25%25\%. 8. Answer: The new fees are approximately a 27.8%27.8\% increase over the old fees.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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