Final answer:
To find out the cost of a new car, we can set up an equation using the price of the used car and the price of the new car. By solving the equation, we find that a new car would cost $40,000.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much a new car would cost, we can set up an equation to represent the relationship between the price of the used car and the price of the new car. Let's say the price of the new car is x. We know that Fred paid 55% of the price of the new car ($x) for the used car ($22,000). So we can write the equation as:
0.55x = 22,000
To solve for x, we need to isolate it on one side of the equation. We can do this by dividing both sides of the equation by 0.55:
x = 22,000 / 0.55
Simplifying the right side of the equation, we get:
x = 40,000
Therefore, a new car would cost $40,000.