Business Mathematics - Definition, Formulas & Applications (2024)

Business Mathematics consists of Mathematical concepts related to business. It comprises mainly profit, loss and interest. Maths is the base of any business. Business Mathematics financial formulas, measurements which helps to calculate profit and loss, the interest rates, tax calculations, salary calculations, which helps to finish the business tasks effectively and efficiently.

Table of contents:

  • Definition
  • Related Topics
  • Important Terms
  • Formulas
  • Example
  • Problems and Solutions

Business Mathematics is highly related to the Statistics concepts which give solutions to business problems. In business, we deal with the exchange of money or products, which have a monetary value. Each business leads to some profit and some loss. To identify these factors, we have to study the primary topics of Maths such as formulas to find a profit, loss, their percentages, discount, etc. Even Though, the requirement of this subject does not contain pure Maths, it needs Mathematical thinking and some Maths formulas. Here, we will discuss what is Business Mathematics, terminologies, and important formulas with problems and solutions.

What is Business Mathematics?

Business Math always deals with profit or loss. The cost of a product is fixed by taking into consideration it’s profit, margin, cash discount, trade discount, etc. Business mathematics is used by commercial companies to record and manage business works. Commercial businesses use maths in departments of accounting, inventory management, marketing, sales forecasting and financial analysis.

Business Mathematics Topics

The most important topics covered in Business Mathematics are:

  • Profit and Loss
  • Statistics
  • Simple and Compound Interest
  • Interest Rates
  • Loans
  • Markups and markdowns
  • Taxes and Tax Laws
  • Discount Factor
  • Annuities
  • Insurance
  • Credit
  • Depreciation
  • Future and Present Values
  • Financial Statements

Business Mathematics Basic Terms

  • Selling Price: The market price is taken to sell a product.
  • Cost Price: The original price of the product is the cost price.
  • Profit: If the selling price is more than the cost price, the difference in the prices is the profit.
  • Loss: If the selling price is less than the cost price, the difference in the prices is the loss.
  • Discount: The reduced amount in the selling price of a product.
  • Simple Interest: Simple interest is that interest which is counted against the capital amount or the portion of the main amount that remains unpaid.
  • Compound Interest: Compound interest is the investment rate that increases exponentially.
Also, read:
  • Profit and Loss Percentage
  • Simple Interest
  • Compound Interest

Business Mathematics Formulas

Here, the 9 basic Business Mathematics formulas that we cannot ignore. They are:

Net Income Formula:

Net Income = Revenue – Expense

Accounting Equation:

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

Equity = Assets – Liabilities

Cost of Goods Sold Formula:

COGS = Beginning inventory + Purchase during the period – Ending inventory

Break-Even point Formula:

Break-Even Point = Fixed cost / (Sales Price per unit – variable cost per unit)

Current Ratio Formula:

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities

Profit Margin Formula:

Profit Margin = (Net Income/ Revenue) × 100

Return of Investment (ROI) Formula:

ROI = [(Invest gain – Cost of Investment)/ Cost of Investment] × 100

Markup Formula:

Markup Percentage = [(Revenue- COGS)/COGS] × 100

Selling Price using Markup = (COGS × markup percentage) + COGS

Where,

COGS = Cost of goods sold

Inventory Shrinkage Formula:

Inventory Shrinkage = [(Recorded Inventory – Actual Inventory)/ Recorded Inventory] × 100

Business Mathematics Example

While doing business, one can earn a good profit or face loss. The price of a product is fixed, taking into consideration it’s cost price, profit, margin, trade discount, cash discount, etc. The price marked on the commodity is called marked price or catalogue price. For trading purposes, the manufacturer proposes a discount on the MRP to the buyer. This is called a trade discount. In addition to the trade discount, if the buyer pays cash against goods, he gets another cut called cash discount. The price of the object after subtracting the trade discount and cash discount is called the selling price. Thus, we have, Selling price = Cost price – Discounts.Let us discuss the most important concept called “Profit and Loss” here.

Profit and Loss:

A profit is the earned amount received by a business on selling a product whereas loss is the amount which is less than the actual price of the product. The formula for profit and loss is given based on the selling price and cost price of a commodity.

  • Profit = Selling Price – Cost Price = S.P. – C.P. (S.P. > C.P)
  • Loss = Cost Price – Selling Price = C.P. – S.P. (C.P. > S.P.)

Both these measures have their percentage value also and they are given by;

  • Profit% = [(S.P. – C.P.)/C.P]. x 100 = (Profit/C.P.) x 100
  • Loss% = [(C.P. – S.P.)/C.P.] x 100 = (Loss/C.P.) x 100

Business Mathematics Problems and Solutions

Question 1: A music system was bought for Rs.10,500 and sold at Rs.9,500. Find the amount of profit or loss.

Solution: Given,

Cost Price of the music system = Rs.10,500

Selling Price of the music system = Rs. 9,500

We can see here, C.P. is greater than S.P. Therefore, there is a loss in this business.

Hence, we need to calculate the loss amount.

Loss = C.P. – S.P.

Loss = 10,500 – 9,500 = Rs.1,000/-.

Question 2: A pair of shoes is bought at Rs 200 and sold at a profit of 10%. Find the selling price of the shoes.

Solution: Given,

Profit = 10% of Rs.200

P = (10/100) × 200 = Rs. 20

S.P. = C.P. + Profit

S.P. = 200 + 20 = Rs.220/-

Question 3: If the cost price of an article including 20% for taxes is Rs. 186, then find the original cost of the article excluding taxes.

Solution:

Let x be the original price of an article.

Tax = 20% of x = (20/100) × x = 0.2x

According to the given statement,

Original cost + tax = New cost price

x + 0.2x = Rs. 186

1.2x = Rs. 186

x = Rs. 186/1.2

x = Rs. 155

Therefore, the cost of the article without taxes = Rs. 155

Keep Visiting BYJU’S – The Learning App and register with the app to get all the Mathematics related topics to learn with ease.

Business Mathematics - Definition, Formulas & Applications (2024)

FAQs

Business Mathematics - Definition, Formulas & Applications? ›

It comprises mainly profit, loss and interest. Maths is the base of any business. Business Mathematics financial formulas, measurements which helps to calculate profit and loss, the interest rates, tax calculations, salary calculations, which helps to finish the business tasks effectively and efficiently.

What is the formula for business math? ›

Business Mathematics Formulas

Simple Interest Formula: SI = P * R * T. Here I is the interest, P is the principal amount, R is the interest rate, and T is the period. Compound Interest Formula: A = P * (1 + r/n)^(n*t).

What are the applications of business math? ›

Commercial organizations use mathematics in accounting, inventory management, marketing, sales forecasting, and financial analysis. Mathematics typically used in commerce includes elementary arithmetic, elementary algebra, statistics and probability.

How do you define business mathematics? ›

Business math is the study and use of mathematical concepts and skills related to business. It covers a wide range of topics, including finance, accounting, economics, statistics, and more. Business math is used in many different fields, such as marketing, management, and decision-making.

What is the formula for mean in business math? ›

The mean can be calculated only for numeric variables, no matter if they are discrete or continuous. It's obtained by simply dividing the sum of all values in a data set by the number of values. The calculation can be done from raw data or for data aggregated in a frequency table.

Is math for business hard? ›

In terms of the difficulty of mathematical requirements, a business administration degree indeed requires students to engage with mathematical concepts. However, compared to the math used in disciplines like engineering or physics, this math is typically not as difficult.

What is taught in a business math class? ›

This course is designed a practical, applied mathematics course that will emphasize the skills students need to manage their personal finances and excel at their first jobs. Student will review and apply mathematical operations with whole numbers, decimals, fractions, ratios, and percent.

What math is most useful for business? ›

Fractions and decimals form the basis of much of the math in business. The following table shows you some of the more commonly used fractions and their decimal equivalents.

What business major uses the most math? ›

Actuarial science deals with probability and risk and is often utilized in the context of insurance. Actuaries will need to use a number of advanced mathematical techniques.

How is calculus used in business? ›

Benefits. Calculus, by determining marginal revenues and costs, can help business managers maximize their profits and measure the rate of increase in profit that results from each increase in production. As long as marginal revenue exceeds marginal cost, the firm increases its profits.

What is business algebra? ›

This course focuses on college algebra topics for students majoring in the economics and business. Presents a review of applications of equations, inequalities and function notation.

Is business math a branch of math? ›

Business Mathematics is the application of mathematical concepts and techniques to solve problems and make informed decisions in the business field. Business Mathematics is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the mathematical methods and techniques used in business, economics, and management.

What are the three formulas of mean? ›

Mean Formula For Grouped Data

They are: Direct Method. Assumed Mean Method. Step-deviation Method.

How to calculate variance? ›

How to calculate variance
  1. Determine the mean of your data.
  2. Find the difference of each value from the mean.
  3. Square each difference.
  4. Calculate the squared values.
  5. Divide this sum of squares by n – 1 (sample) or N (population).

How to calculate mean formula? ›

To calculate the mean, you first add all the numbers together (3 + 11 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 6 = 47). Then you divide the total sum by the number of scores used (47 / 7 = 6.7). In this example, the mean or average of the number set is 6.7.

What is the applicability of business math in daily life? ›

It helps in almost every part of the business such as income & expenditure, sales and purchases, profit & loss, risk management, financial management, payroll management, etc.

What is a business application of algebra? ›

Business & Finance Management: Business is as dependent on algebra as any other field. In order to calculate profits and losses, business owners use algebraic operations. A business person will use algebra to determine whether a piece of equipment does not lose its worth if it is in stock.

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