# HSPT Math : Arithmetic

## Example Questions

$12,000 is deposited into a savings account that draws 6% simple interest per year. If no money is withdrawn during the first five years, how much money is in the account at the end of the fifth year? Possible Answers: Correct answer: Explanation: We can use the simple interest formula , substituting : The savings account will have . ### Example Question #14 : How To Work With Percentages To get on the ballot for student body president, a student must turn in a petition with the signatures of 4% of the students. If there are 3,268 students, how many signatures must a student get to be on that ballot? (Round to the nearest whole person.) Possible Answers: Correct answer: Explanation: 4% of 3,268 can be calculated by multiplying 3,268 by 0.04, the decimal equivalent of 4%: Multiply 3,268 by 4, then move the decimal point two places to the right: , so Rounded to the nearest whole number - 131 signatures. ### Example Question #31 : How To Find The Part From The Whole With Percentage A sweater costs 100 dollars. It is then discounted 20%. A week later it is discounted another 25%. What is the final price of the sweater? Possible Answers: 55 dollars 50 dollars 60 dollars 45 dollars Correct answer: 60 dollars Explanation: When the 100 dollar shirt is discounted 20%, it will be discounted 20 dollars, leaving the price at 80 dollars. When 80 dollars is then discounted another 25%, that value is equal to another 20 dollars. 100 dollars less 20 dollars, less another 20 dollars is 60 dollars. Thus, 60 dollars is the final price. ### Example Question #1 : How To Find The Whole From The Part With Percentage Refer to the above diagram. If there were 15,934 voters who were affiliated with a political party in Smith County in 2009, how many voters (nearest whole number) were there total? Possible Answers: Correct answer: Explanation: 40% of the voters were registered as independents, so 60% were registered as a member of a political party. Since 60% of the voters numbered 15,934, we can find the total number of voters by setting up and solving a proportion: which rounds to 26,557 voters. ### Example Question #21 : How To Work With Percentages Refer to the above graph. If there were 17,856 registered voters in Smith County in 2009, how many voters were registered as neither Republicans nor Democrats (nearest whole number)? Possible Answers: Correct answer: Explanation: 2% of the voters were registered as members of other parties, and 40% were unaffiliated, so we want to calculate 42% of 17,856, or, equivalently, which, to the nearest whole number, rounds to 7,500 voters. ### Example Question #81 : Problem Solving Julie bought some groceries at the store where she works for$196.57. She got an employee discount of 15%. How much would the same groceries cost a non-employee?

Explanation:

Paying at a 15% discount is equvalent to paying 85% of the original price, so $196.57 is 85% of the original (non-employee) price, or, equivalently, 0.85 times that price. If is that price, then we can set up and solve the equation: A non-employee would pay$231.26 for the groceries.

### Example Question #81 : Arithmetic

Becky ate  of a batch of cupcakes. She ate  cupcakes. How many cupcakes were there in total?

Explanation:

This can be solved using a proportion:

Cross multiply and solve for :

### Example Question #81 : Hspt Mathematics

For her birthday, Susan asks her mother to buy her a car. Susan’s mother agrees to give Susan 150 percent of whatever amount Susan can save up in six months. If Susan saves , how much does Susan’s mother owe her?

$550$750

$700$900

$300 Correct answer:$900

Explanation:

When Susan's mother agreed to match her savings plus fifty percent, she agreed to give Susan % plus %.

Before multiplying by the amount Susan saved, we must convert % to a decimal by dividing by .

Now we multiply time $. Susan's mother owes her$.

### Example Question #1 : How To Find The Whole From The Part With Percentage

If sales tax on a pair of jeans is , and the jeans cost  before tax, what is the final price of the jeans including tax?

$60$66

$62$58

$56 Correct answer:$58

Explanation:

Since the jeans are the only item being purchased, and they cost $, we must first find % of$.  In order to do that we multiply $by the decimal form of %, which is . Note: In order to find the decimal form of a percent, we divide it by . Find the tax: Therefore the sales tax added to the original price is$