Final answer:
To calculate the original seat capacity of the stadium before a 15% increase, divide the increased seat total of 400,000 by 1.15, resulting in approximately 347,826 seats.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves determining the original number of seats in a football stadium before a percentage increase was applied to its capacity. To solve this, we need to work backward from the increased number of seats to find the original count. Since the seating capacity was increased by 15%, the final number of seats after the increase (400,000 seats) corresponds to 115% (or 1.15 times) of the original number of seats.
We can express this relationship using the equation:
Original number of seats × 1.15 = 400,000 seats
From this equation, we can solve for the original number of seats:
Original number of seats = 400,000 seats / 1.15
By performing the division, we find the original number of seats:
An original number of seats ≈ 347,826 seats (approximated to the nearest whole seat).