Final answer:
Mr. Brown's original salary was £14,550 before an 8% pay rise increased it to £15,714.
Step-by-step explanation:
After an 8% pay rise, Mr. Brown's salary became £15,714. To find out what his salary was before the increase, you would set up an equation where his original salary (which we'll call original salary) increased by 8% is equal to £15,714. An increase of 8% on the original salary means the final salary is 108% of the original salary (100% + 8%). Therefore, we can express this as:
1.08 × original salary = £15,714
To find the original salary, divide £15,714 by 1.08:
original salary = £15,714 / 1.08 = £14,550
Thus, Mr. Brown's salary before the pay rise was £14,550.