document.write( "Question 535699: After a 15% discount off of a pair of pants, the price is 14.50. What was the price before the discount? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #352069 by april4869(19) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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x=original price of the item, what you're solving for.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x(1-.15)=14.50.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "it's 1-.15 because you don't want 15% of x, you want 15% OFF of x. so you really want 85% of x.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "divide 14.50 by .85, and you'll have x.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(it's not 14.50 X 115% because then you're adding 15% of 14.50 to it, not 15% of the original amount you had. 15% of 14.50 does NOT equal 15% of x because x is larger.)\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the pants are 17.06 NOT 16.68.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the way you can double check your answer is to take what you got for x and solve the problem backwards. so let's take $16.68 and show why it's wrong.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "16.68*.15= 2.50200 (15% OFF 16.68)
\n" ); document.write( "16.68-2.50200=14.18 approx.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "14.18 DOES NOT equal 14.50, which was the discounted price of the pants.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "17.06*.15=2.559
\n" ); document.write( "17.06-2.559=14.50.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "17.06 is the correct answer.
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