Who needs percentages? You need percentages. Percentages are everywhere. 50% off in the sale. 50% polyester. 26% fat content. 13% of the public vote. 63% of my time watching television and consuming pasties. I think I'm 80% sure that I'm a 100% out of shape.
I'm applying for Celebrity Space Hopper Mathletes, which of course, as you know, features 12 celebrities pitching their maths skills against each other on a space hopper. Could be my chance to meet a regional news presenter. The winner gets a 12-month teaching contract and a massive golden space hopper. And I want a piece of that.
Now, it says here on the application form that all competitors will be expected to give one 110% effort at all times. Is that even possible? Can you give a 110% effort? Think I'd better ask someone who knows.
This is Riccardo, personal trainer to the stars and now me. Right now, erm, maths…
Yeah.
In personal fitness, does it feature, is it a thing?
It's a massive thing in my industry. It's one of the things that's most important because we have to find out lots of different types of percentages, for example, the workout intensity a client can go to. We work out percentages when it comes to nutrition. And also, there's body statistics as well.
Pick it up! Pick it up!
So even in the world of health and fitness, maths is key.
Keep it going, keep it going!
Riccardo uses it to work out how hard to push his clients. This is hardcore maths.
Because winners train, losers complain. Keep it strong! Up! Are you a winner?
Yes!
Right, let's get some claps. Yes! Push it! Lovely! That's what I'm looking for. OK, Sanjeev, our goal is to try and find out what you can lift once and once only, i.e., your 100% maximum effort. OK?
OK.
And we're going to focus on doing a bench press.
Riccardo's started me off with just a bar, and he reckons lifting this is taking about 30% of my effort. And as the weights get added on, I can feel it getting harder. I'm not sure how much more I'm going to be able to lift!
Three, two, one…and lift.
HE GROANS
There we go.
OK.
I got you.
OK.
Whenever you're ready. One time is what we're going for.
Yeah.
Ready and…drop. Good, now push.
HE GROANS
Keep going, keep going, keep going. Do you think you could do one more?
Shall I try?
You can try.
OK.
OK. Push, push.
Mummy! Daddy! Argh!
I've got it.
No, no. Well, I did manage to speak some words of Serbo-Croat there, but I certainly didn't manage to lift that.
So the point is that that was your 100% maximum effort. So showing, obviously, that 100% maximum effort is all you can do.
So there you go, point proved. You cannot give more than 100%. Yes, despite what the celebrity mathletes folk and football managers say, 100% is the maximum. Clear? Good. Right, that's plenty of Riccardo. Time to make that golden space hopper mine.
OK, so we're going to have to get you ready for the Celebrity Space Hopper Mathletes.
OK. Ready when you are.
Ready? OK.
Do you think I'll be able to do this?
I think so.
I'm not so sure.
So your maximum heart rate is 178 beats per minute.
Right.
What I want to do is I want you to find out for me what 60% of that is?
106.8, sir!
Good! OK, round it up to the nearest whole number.
Perfect! What's 70% of 130? Bring up the tempo. Work it out!
Perfect, yes. Give me more, give me more!
You need 80% of the public vote to get into the final of Celebrity Space Hopper Mathletes, OK. We expect 5,600 calls to come in.
Really?
Sanjeev, tell me what 80% of 5,600 is.
4,480 votes.
That's correct! And…and stop!
Well, I gave 100%, which is all I could give. And Riccardo is very impressed. In fact, he was so impressed he's offered me a 33.3% reduction in his personal training rate, which is a third. It's very reasonable. Here's the answer I gave him.
Video summary
Percentages are a good way to describe fractions of quantities.
They are used in everyday life to convey information as varied as amounts of fat in food and how much we can expect to save in a sale. Sanjeev Kohli goes to the gym to show that 100% is the maximum effort anyone can give.
We hear from his instructor, Riccardo Scala, that percentages are vital to fitness training and nutrition.
Sanjeev calculates percentages on the hop while training for the Celebrity Space Hopper Mathletes competition.
This clip is from the series Who Needs Maths?
Teacher Notes
Gives students an insight into the fact that percentages are a popular way to describe fractions in everyday life.
The clip can be used as an introduction to a lesson on percentages where learners can check the presenter's calculations and then explore in class how percentage of maximum is used in fitness training.
This clip is relevant for teaching maths at Key Stage 3 and Third/Fourth Level in Scotland.
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