Final answer:
The original price of the water heater was $950. This is calculated by dividing the sale price, $285, by 0.30, which represents the remaining percentage of the price after a 70% discount.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the original price of an item when you know the sale price and the discount percentage, you can use the following steps:
- Convert the discount percentage to a decimal by dividing the percentage by 100.
- Subtract this decimal from 1 to find the portion of the price that the sale price represents.
- Divide the sale price by the decimal found in step 2 to find the original price.
Applying these steps to the question: The water heater is 70% off, and the sale price is $285.
- 70% as a decimal is 0.70.
- Subtracting that from 1 gives us 0.30, which means the sale price represents 30% of the original price.
- Dividing the sale price of $285 by 0.30 gives us the original price, which is $950.
Therefore, the original price of the water heater was $950.