The answer is 4. Below: three ways to calculate it, a mental shortcut, and the real-world contexts where this percentage shows up.
8% of 50 is 4.
8% sales tax on a 50-dollar purchase is a typical US grocery or non-food retail rate.
Divide the percent by 100 to convert it: 8 ÷ 100 = 0.08.
Multiply: 50 × 0.08 = 4.
8% means 8/100. So 8% of 50 is (8 × 50) ÷ 100.
Compute: 8 × 50 = 400, then divide: 400 ÷ 100 = 4.
No single elegant mental shortcut for 8% — but you can always split: 8% = (some 10%) + (some 5%) + (some 1%). Try 0×(10% of 50) plus 8×(1% of 50).
Sales tax is a percentage added to a purchase. To find the total, calculate the tax first, then add it to the price.
On a $50 purchase with 8% tax, the tax amount is $4 and you pay $54 total.
If you only needed to look up this one number, here are some related ones using the same base of 50:
| Calculation | Answer |
|---|---|
| 5% of 50 | 2.5 |
| 6% of 50 | 3 |
| 7% of 50 | 3.5 |
| 10% of 50 | 5 |
| Calculation | Answer |
|---|---|
| 8% of 5 | 0.4 |
| 8% of 6 | 0.48 |
| 8% of 7 | 0.56 |
| 8% of 8 | 0.64 |
| 8% of 10 | 0.8 |
For any percentage of any number, use our percentage of a number calculator.
Multiply 50 by 0.08 (the decimal form of 8%). Or equivalently, multiply by 8/100. The result is 4.
Divide 4 by 50 and multiply by 100. That is exactly 8% — confirming the original calculation.
The tax is 4, so the total is 54.