Lurker > MarkMahWords

Cool, I was waiting for you to give me some examples.

So let's start off with 36% of 250. We know from the previous explanation that a percentage is a decimal that is equivalent to a fraction of a part and a whole. Let's pay attention to the wording of the problem.

When I ask you how much of something is rotten let's say, does the word "of" trigger an intuitive understanding that I'm asking you a part of an entire collection? Reword the question to understand this more.

I ask you, 36% of the 250 apples are rotten. How much are actually rotten?

We know then that we know there is a whole group of 250 that I need to find a certain portion of that are rotten. Going back to the previous explanation, we know that the fraction is part over whole. Do we know the part? Nope! But we know the whole as well as what that fraction is equal to (it's equal to the percent)

? over 250 is equal to .36

To find that numerator can be found in different ways, but there is a solid, will-never-fail you solution to solving all percent problems. Let me know if you are lost at this point.
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What up.

Percentages go hand in hand with decimals. A percent is tells us how much of something we have in comparison to the entire group. Let's say we have 500 apples and I want to find out the percentage of those 500 apples that are rotten when we know 250 of them are rotten. A percentage expresses a ratio or fraction between the part to the whole, where the numerator is that part and the denominator is that whole.

What is the part of apples that are rotten? 250. Out of how many? 500. So we can write it as 250/500. Reducing our fraction yields 1/2, and as decimal that is .5. To express a decimal in a percentage, we move the decimal to the right 2 positions. (.5 moved twice is 50, so our percentage is 50%) And to go from percentage to decimal, we do the opposite by moving the decimal 2 positions to the left. (If we have a percentage of 75%, moving it twice shows that the decimal is .75)
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http://i.imgur.com/L3uCOf2.jpg
What up.

Let's just start with the basic principles of decimals then.

When we count things, it's useful for us to count in terms of whole objects. Let's say we have apples in a box. If I were to ask you to count how many apples there are, you'd probably count how many whole apples there are - let's say there are probably 12 in there.

Decimals are useful for when we want to count things that are not "whole." Going back to our apple example, how would we count an apple that's been half eaten? We would say 12 and a half apples, or by going with decimals, we'd say 12.5 apples.

We like to count in terms of 10. That's why the positions of each digit correspond to how many ones, tens, hundreds, etc there are. (456 apples means I have 4 groups of a hundred apples as well as 5 groups of ten apples, and 6 groups of one apples).

Similarly, digits in the right side of the decimal correspond to how many tenths, hundredths, thousandths there are. (If I have 7.234 apples, I have 7 groups of one apple, 2 groups of a tenth of an apple, 3 groups of a hundredth of an apple, and 4 groups of a thousandth of an apple).
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What up.

What do you not understand brother? Let us help.
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What up.

Let me put it this way. I think you see this trip as an opportunity for your girlfriend and her ex to engage in debauchery. You probably think that this is where your girlfriend is going to cheat on you, run away with her ex, and ghost you for good. You are anxious about the situation and you're seeking justification for your ultimatum. I personally sympathize with you, and I'm willing to bet a lot of other people would feel the same in your circumstances.

I want you to consider the child's point of view. The child already has the burden of living an unconventional upbringing. To top that all off, he is going to move and start a new life with all the growing pains that come with that. This is a chaotic situation to be in, and the best thing that can happen to him is some semblance of normalcy and civility from his biological parents. Support from the people that love this child is what this child needs most, and your girlfriend and her ex know this regardless of their personal differences - it's what defines good parents after all.

You offered to fly everyone out so that you aren't left alone. While that was a good idea, your girlfriend's hesitancy isn't surprising. You've already demonstrated to her that you care more about your insecurity and distrust in your girlfriend more than her child (not a smart move), and this makes your idea to fly them out seem disingenuous.

Consider the relationship, if any, you have with this child. I'm willing to bet that there isn't one, or it's lackluster at best. I hate to break it to you, but that child probably doesn't really care for you and only sees you as his mom's boyfriend rather than a fatherly figure. What good is it for the kid that you're there then? If you have no presence in his life, you coming along would antagonize the kid's view of his mother.

It's easy to get caught up on the emotions, but I hope you realize that this is not about you. This trip was never about you. This is about the child, and you've demonstratively proven to your girlfriend that you care more about yourself rather than her and her best wishes. There are so many factors that are involved in this, and by the information you've given to us, you failed to see anyone's view point but yours.

You need to apologize right now if you have any real love and respect for her and seriously take a hard look at yourself before you project any ultimatums on anyone ever again.
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http://i.imgur.com/L3uCOf2.jpg
What up.