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A Journey Through Time
Last updated at February 12, 2026 by Teachoo
Class 8 (Ganita Prakash - 1, 2 & Old NCERT)
Chapter 1 Class 8 - Fractions in Disguise (Ganita Prakash II)
- Percentage - Definition
- Figure it out - Page 3, 4
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Uses of Percentages
- Percentage of Some Quantity
- Finding Percentage Quickly
- Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages
- Percentages Greater than 100
- Figure it out - Page 12, 13, 14
- Comparing Proportions using Percentage
- Percentage Increase or Decrease
- Profit and Loss
- Taxes
- Figure it out - Page 19, 20
- Growth and Compounding
- Figure it out - Page 22, 23, 24
- Depreciation
- Tricky Percentages
- Finding Mistakes in Percentages
- Figure it out - Page 28, 29, 30
Transcript
A Journey Through Time A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME: THE EVOLUTION OF PERCENTAGES 4TH CENTURY BCE: ANCIENT INDIA Kautilya's Arthashastra mentions 'per cent' (per 100) interest on loans for trade.ANCIENT ROME Used fractions like 1/100 for taxes on auctions and trade.15TH CENTURY ITALY 'xx p cento' (20 per 100) shorthand → Evolved into the modern '%' symbol.CONCLUSION: The concept of "per 100" has been used for millennia to standardize financial calculations, leading to the symbol we use today.One of my favorite things about math is that people have been struggling with the same problems for thousands of years! Ancient India (4th Century BCE) In the famous text Arthashastra, Kautilya wrote about interest rates on loans "per cent" (per 100). It was used to calculate fair interest for traders. Ancient Rome The Romans used fractions like 1/100 for taxes on auctions. 15th Century Italy Merchants started writing shorthand like "xx p cento" (20 per 100), which eventually evolved into our modern % symbol!
