Calculating Percentage Decrease in Male Athletes from Country C

The question asks us to find the approximate percentage decrease in the number of male athletes participating from Country C in the year 2018 compared to the previous year, 2017. We need to use the data provided in the table showing the distribution of male and female athletes from different countries over several years.

Finding the Data for Country C Athletes

First, let's locate the relevant data points from the table:

• Number of male (M) athletes from Country C in the year 2018.
• Number of male (M) athletes from Country C in the year 2017 (the previous year).

From the table, we find:

• Male athletes from Country C in 2017 = 345
• Male athletes from Country C in 2018 = 240

Formula for Percentage Decrease

To calculate the percentage decrease, we use the following formula:

\(\text{Percentage Decrease} = \frac{\text{Previous Year Value} - \text{Current Year Value}}{\text{Previous Year Value}} \times 100\)

Calculating the Percentage Decrease for Country C

Let's plug in the values for Country C male athletes in 2017 and 2018:

\(\text{Percentage Decrease} = \frac{345 - 240}{345} \times 100\)

\(\text{Percentage Decrease} = \frac{105}{345} \times 100\)

Now, we perform the division:

\(\frac{105}{345} \approx 0.3043478...\)

Multiply by 100 to get the percentage:

\(0.3043478... \times 100 \approx 30.43478...\%\)

Approximating the Result

The question asks for the approximate percentage decrease. The calculated value, approximately 30.43%, is closest to 30%.

Therefore, the approximate percentage decrease in the number of male athletes who participated from Country C in the year 2018 as compared to the previous year was approximately 30%.

Revision Table: Key Data Points

Additional Information: Understanding Percentage Change

Percentage change is a way to describe how much a quantity has changed relative to its original value. It can be either a percentage increase or a percentage decrease.

• Percentage Increase: Occurs when the new value is greater than the original value. Formula: \(\frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Original Value}}{\text{Original Value}} \times 100\).
• Percentage Decrease: Occurs when the new value is less than the original value. Formula: \(\frac{\text{Original Value} - \text{New Value}}{\text{Original Value}} \times 100\). Note that this is the same as the percentage increase formula if the result is negative, but using the absolute difference and dividing by the original value gives a positive percentage decrease.

In this specific problem, we observed a decrease in the number of male athletes from 2017 to 2018, so we calculated the percentage decrease. It's important to always divide by the value from the starting or previous period when calculating percentage change.