document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=936262>Question 936262</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> A  dress goes on sale at 25% off the original price. The next day it drops 20% from the current price, the following day the price drops another 25% from the current price. The final price is 27 dollars. What was the starting price of the dress?\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Please show work.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #569702 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=Theo><B>Theo(13342)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=Theo><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=Theo><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=569702\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> let x represent the original price of the dress.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "it goes on sale for 25% off the original price.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "if you're taking off 25%, then what you are left with is 75%.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the sale price is therefore 75% of x which is equal to .75 * x\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the next day it drops 20% from 75% of x.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "if you're taking off 20%, then what you are left with is 80%.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the sale price is therefore 80% of 75% of x which is equal to .8 * .75 * x.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "simplify .8 * .75 * x to get .6 * x which is equal to 60% of x.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the next day it drops another 25%.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "if you take off 25%, then you are left with 75%.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the sale price is therefore 75% of 60% of x which is equal to .75 * .6 * x.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "simplify .75 * .6 * x to get .45 * x which is equal to 45% of x.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the final price is equal to 27 dollars, so you get:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "45% of x is equal to 27 dollars which becomes:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( ".45 * x = 27\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "divide both sides of this equation by .45 to get:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "x = 27/.45 which becomes:\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "x = 60 dollars.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "the original price of the dress was 60 dollars.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "25% of 60 = 15 dollars.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "take 15 dollars off of 60 and you get the new sale price of 45 dollars.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "20% of 45 = 9 dollars<BR>\n" );
document.write( "take 9 dollars off of 45 dollars and you get the new sale price of 36 dollars.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "25% of 36 dollars = 9 dollars.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "take 9 dollars off of 36 dollars and you get the final sale price of 27 dollars.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "numbers check out so you're good.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( " </SPAN>\n" );
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