Context

Percentage is a mathematical quantity that we study from the early school years. It is used in a multitude of situations in our daily lives, such as in bank interest rates, taxes, store promotions, statistics presented in the media, and many others. To understand percentage well, it is necessary to understand that it is a fraction with a denominator of 100, so when we say, for example, that 20% of the students in a classroom are girls, we mean that, out of every 100 students, 20 are girls.

In mathematics, percentage is a way to express a number as a fraction of 100. Percentage, which literally means 'per hundred,' is a concept used to compare numbers to other numbers. It is commonly used in finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, and many other fields, where comparing quantities or tracking changes over time is important.

The concept of percentage is fundamental in many fields, from business to science and engineering. In business, for example, percentage is used to calculate profits, taxes, interest rates, and discounts. In science and engineering, it is used to calculate efficiencies, concentrations, and rates. In our daily lives, we encounter percentages in many situations, from calculating change at the supermarket to understanding statistics in the news.

The following resources can be used by students for further exploration of the topic:

1. Basic Concepts of Percentage - Mundo Educação
2. Percentage - Brasil Escola
3. How to Calculate Percentage? - Toda Matéria
4. Percentage and its Applications - Só Matemática

Practical Activity

Activity Title: 'Percentage Speaking'

Project Objective

The objective of this activity is to provide students with a deep understanding of the concept of percentage and its real-world applications.

Detailed Project Description

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5, and each group will receive a fictitious data package related to an e-commerce company. This data set will include information about sales, taxes, discounts, and profit. Based on this data, students will be challenged to solve a series of business problems using the concept of percentage. Additionally, they will also be challenged to create a financial report for the company using tables and graphs.

Required Materials

• Data packages provided by the teacher
• Mathematics textbook
• Paper and pencil or word processor to write the report
• Computer programs to create tables and graphs (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets)

Step by Step

1. Group Formation: Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5.
2. Delivery of Data Packages: Each group will receive a data package related to an e-commerce company.
3. Study of Theoretical Material: Students should review the concepts of percentage in the Mathematics textbook and any other valid research source.
4. Solving Business Problems: Students will gather to solve the proposed business problems using the concept of percentage.
5. Creation of Financial Report: Students will gather to create a financial report for the company, using tables and graphs to represent the data clearly and concisely.
6. Preparation of Written Document: Students will gather to prepare the written document, which should follow the format of a report as mentioned earlier (Introduction, Development, Conclusions, Bibliography).

Project Deliverables

Students must deliver the financial report and the written document. The financial report should contain tables and graphs that represent the provided data clearly and concisely. The written document should follow the format of a report and include the following topics:

1. Introduction: Students must contextualize the company's problem, its relevance and real-world application, as well as the objective of this project.

2. Development: Students must explain the theory behind the project's central theme - percentage. They should detail the methodology used to solve the business problems and create the financial report, discussing the process and challenges faced, as well as presenting and discussing the results obtained.

3. Conclusion: Students must conclude the work by summarizing their main points, explaining the learnings obtained, and drawing conclusions about the project.

4. Bibliography: Students must indicate the sources they relied on to work on the project - both to understand the concept of percentage and to solve the business problems and create the financial report.

The project should be developed and completed within a month, with each student investing five to ten hours of work.