Here's how you can figure out how many cars were sold in 2009 based on the information given for 2007 and the subsequent annual drops:
1. Start with the number of cars sold in 2007, which is 300,000 cars.
2. The sales dropped by 20% in 2008. To calculate the sales for 2008, you need to find 20% of the 300,000 cars sold in 2007. You can calculate 20% of 300,000 by multiplying 300,000 by 0.20, which gives you 60,000 cars. This is the decrease in sales, not the total sales for 2008.
3. To find the total number of cars sold in 2008, subtract the decrease (60,000 cars) from the original sales figure for 2007 (300,000 cars). Therefore, 300,000 cars - 60,000 cars = 240,000 cars were sold in 2008.
4. For 2009, the sales dropped by an additional 10%. Now, take the sales figure for 2008, which is 240,000 cars. To calculate the sales for 2009, you need to find 10% of the 240,000 cars sold in 2008. You do this by multiplying 240,000 by 0.10, which gives you 24,000 cars. This is the decrease in sales for the year 2009.
5. Now, calculate the total number of cars sold in 2009 by subtracting the decrease (24,000 cars) from the sales figure for 2008 (240,000 cars). So, 240,000 cars - 24,000 cars = 216,000 cars were sold in 2009.
In conclusion, the car company sold 216,000 cars in 2009.