what does it mean when something has a 165% increase or like a 98% increase/decrease. I just can’t seem to understand it
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So a percent increase or decrease is a *relative* change – meaning, a change *in relation* to the original/previous value.
If you are increasing by a percentage, you take the original value and raise it by a portion of 100. Remember that % is per 100, always.
Say something is priced at $500. If there is a 1% increase, that $500 increases by 1/100. 1/100 of $500 is $5, right? So, a 1% increase on $500 would be $505.
The math on this is just (1/100) x 500 = 5. Then, 500 + 5 = 505
A 98% increase is like this too. (98/100) x 500 = 490. So you have a $490 increase on your original amount of $500, which brings the price up to $990.
Now, instead of 98%, say there’s a 165% increase. This means that the price has increased by 165/100 of that original amount. What is 165% of $500? You can just take 500 and multiply it by (165/100), like we did before, which gives you $825. So a 165% increase on $500 would be: $500 + $825 = $1325.
It’s like this with the decreasing % too, except instead of adding to the original value, you subtract from it. E.g., a 98% decrease on a list price of $500:
(98/100) x 500 = 490
$500 – $490 = $10
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