Final answer:
The original price of the saw before a 12% increase to $14.00 was $12.50.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the original price of the saw before the 12% increase, we need to work backward from the new price of $14.00. We understand that the $14.00 represents 112% of the original price, with the 12% representing the increase. To find 100% of the original price or the price before the increase, we divide $14.00 by 1.12 (since 112% expressed as a decimal is 1.12).
This calculation gives us:
Original Price = $14.00 / 1.12 = $12.50
So, the correct answer is a) $12.50, which was the saw's price before the price increase.