We can rewrite this problem as: What is 60% of 35? "Percent" or "%" means "out of 100" or "per 100", Therefore 60% can be written as 60 100 . When dealing with percents the word "of" means "times" or "to multiply". Finally, lets call the number of members we are looking for "m". Putting this altogether we can write this equation and solve for m while keeping the equation balanced: m = 60 100 × 35 m = 2100 100 m = 21 21 members must be present to have a vote.