A vendor sells 60% of apples he had and throws away 15% of the remainder. Next day, he sells 50% of the remainder and throws away the rest. What percent of the apples does the vendor throws away?
Let 100% or 1 represent the original number of apples
After selling 60% (.6), he then has 1 - .6, or .4 remaining
After "tossing" 15% (.15) of the remainder, he has "tossed" .15(.4) = .06, and then has .4 - .06 = .34 remaining
Selling 50% (.5) of the remainder, or .5(.34) = .17 leaves him with .34 - .17 = .17, which was tossed.
Adding the "tossed" gives us: .06 + .17 = .23, or 23%.