Question 657885
To calculate a percentage of a number you just multiply the number by the percentage.

$30 * 6% = $1.80


Remember that "percent" means "per hundred". That reminds you that 6% =6/100. Maybe that helps.

$30 * 6/100 = $1.80


The percentage is always used to represent the ratio of some partial amount of a whole amount. This problem is asking you to calculate the part given the whole amount and the percentage. In that case, you multiply. If they had given you the two dollar amounts, you could calculate the percentage. You can think of the formula:

Part = whole*percentage


Given any two of these numbers, you can calculate the other.
If I had been given the two dollar amounts and asked for the percentage, I would think of the equation and rearrange it so that percentage was alone on one side of the equation.

Part/whole = whole*percentage/whole
Part/whole = whole/whole*percentage
Part/whole = 1*percentage
Part/whole = percentage
percentage = Part/whole


If asked what percentage $1.80 is of $30, I would know that 
Pct = $1.80/$30 = 6%