Question 19·Easy·Percentages
A table of the US minimum wage for six different years is shown below.
| Year | US minimum wage (dollars per hour) |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.00 |
| 1970 | 1.60 |
| 1980 | 3.10 |
| 1990 | 3.80 |
| 2000 | 5.15 |
| 2010 | 7.25 |
What was the percent increase of the minimum wage from 1960 to 1970?
For percent increase or decrease questions, always: (1) identify the original (starting) value and the new value from the table or problem, (2) compute the change as new minus original, (3) divide the change by the original value, and (4) convert the result to a percent by multiplying by 100. Double-check that you divided by the starting value (not the new value) and quickly estimate whether your percent makes sense given how big the change looks.
Hints
Use the table values for 1960 and 1970
Look at the wages in 1960 and 1970. How much did the minimum wage go up in dollars between those two years?
Recall the percent increase formula
Percent increase is based on the formula . Which value from the table should you use as the "old" amount?
Convert decimal to percent
Once you divide the increase by the original amount, you will get a decimal. How do you turn that decimal into a percent?
Desmos Guide
Compute the percent increase directly
In Desmos, type (1.60 - 1.00) / 1.00 * 100 and press Enter. The value Desmos displays is the percent increase from 1960 to 1970; match that number to the closest answer choice.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the original and new wages
From the table, the US minimum wage was $1.00 in 1960 and $1.60 in 1970.
- Original (starting) wage: $1.00
- New (ending) wage: $1.60
Find the amount of increase
Subtract the original wage from the new wage to find how many dollars it increased.
So the wage increased by $0.60.
Set up the percent increase calculation
Percent increase is defined as
Here, the amount of increase is $0.60 and the original amount is $1.00:
So the increase is of the original wage, written as a decimal.
Convert the decimal to a percent and choose the answer
To convert a decimal to a percent, multiply by and attach a percent sign:
So the percent increase from 1960 to 1970 is , which corresponds to choice B.