Question

Easy Cooking is a cooking supply company. This year, the company sold 564 ovens. According to a report prepared by the sales team, that is 20% more than they sold last year. How many ovens did they sell last year?

Answer 1

Easy Cooking sold 470 ovens last year, which is the number obtained by dividing this year's sales, 564, by 1.20 (to account for the 20% increase).

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the number of ovens sold last year by Easy Cooking, we need to reverse the 20% increase that occurred this year. If this year they sold 564 ovens, and that represents 120% of last year's sales (since it's 20% more), we can use the following steps to find the original amount (100%):

1. Let's denote last year's sales as x ovens.
2. According to the information, 564 ovens represent a 20% increase over last year. Therefore, 564 is 120% of last year's sales.
3. To express this relationship as an equation, we write 564 = 1.20 * x.
4. To find x, we divide both sides of the equation by 1.20: x = 564 / 1.20.
5. After dividing, we find that x = 470.

So, Easy Cooking sold 470 ovens last year.