Question

Mrs. Webster surveyed her class of 20 students. She asked each student to identify his or her favorite sport out of a list of five sports. Each student could only choose one sport and everyone participated. The results of the survey are shown in the chart. $$ \begin{array}{|l|l|} \hline \text { Football } & 8 \\ \hline \text { Basketball } & 5 \\ \hline \text { Baseball } & 4 \\ \hline \text { Soccer } & 2 \\ \hline \text { Hockey } & 1 \\ \hline \end{array} $$ What percent of the class chose baseball? A. \(10 \%\) B. \(20 \%\) C. \(25 \%\) D. \(40 \%\)

Short answer

20%

Step-by-step solution

Identify the number of students who chose baseball

From the given chart, it is clear that 4 students chose baseball as their favorite sport.

Identify the total number of students

The total number of students in Mrs. Webster's class is given as 20.

Divide the number of students who chose baseball by the total number of students

Divide the number of students who chose baseball (4) by the total number of students (20): \ \[ \frac{4}{20} \]

Convert the fraction to a percent

To convert the fraction \ \[ \frac{4}{20} \] \ to a percent, multiply by 100: \ \[ \frac{4}{20} \times 100 = 20\text{\%} \]

Key concepts

percentage calculation

Calculating percentages is an essential skill in mathematics. It helps us understand proportions and compare data. To find a percentage, you divide the part by the whole and then multiply by 100. In this exercise, Mrs. Webster's class survey, we were asked to find the percentage of students who chose baseball as their favorite sport. We started with the fraction of students who preferred baseball, which was four out of twenty. We converted this fraction to a percentage by multiplying by 100, resulting in 20%. This indicates that 20% of the students favored baseball.

survey analysis

Analyzing survey results involves collecting and interpreting data to draw conclusions. Mrs. Webster conducted a survey where each of her 20 students chose their favorite sport from a list of five options. The data can reveal trends and preferences. For instance, by looking at the results:

• Football: 8 students chose it
• Basketball: 5 students chose it
• Baseball: 4 students chose it
• Soccer: 2 students chose it
• Hockey: 1 student chose it

We can see that football is the most popular sport among the students, while hockey is the least favorite. Analyzing these preferences can help in understanding the interests of a group, which can be useful for decision-making or further research.

fractions to percentages

Converting fractions to percentages is straightforward. A fraction represents a part of a whole. To convert it to a percentage, follow these steps:

• Divide the numerator (top number) by the denominator (bottom number).
• Multiply the result by 100.
• Add the percent symbol (%) to the final value.

In Mrs. Webster's survey, we had the fraction 4/20 representing the students who chose baseball. Dividing 4 by 20 gives 0.2. Multiplying 0.2 by 100 gives 20%, which means that 20% of the students preferred baseball. This process can be applied to any fraction to find its percentage value.