25% of what number is 10?

1 Answer
Jul 4, 2018

#40#

Explanation:

We don't know the number yet, so we can model it with the variable #x#. The question now turns into:

#25%# of #x# is #10#. What is #x#?

The key realization is that #25%# is the same as #1/4#, so we can now construct an equation:

#1/4x=10#

This is saying one-fourth, or #25%#, of a number #x#, is equal to #10#.

Let's multiply both sides by #4# to get

#x=40#

Therefore, #25%# of #40# is #10#.

Hope this helps!