Question

A loaf of bread is marked on sale, discounted at 40% off. You grab the loaf, head to the cashier, and are charged $150 for the loaf. What was its original regular price per loaf? Please show work

Answer 1

The original price per loaf is $250.

Explanation:

Theory. There are 2 ways of discounting a percentage from a number:

1. Calculate the 40% of the number (multiplying by 0.4) and substract the resulting amount from the original number,

2. Multiply the number by 1-40% (1-0.4).

1. Form an equation.

Using the logic expressed at the beginning of this answer, the resulting number of the price must have been multiplied by 1-0.4 to be the number that it is right now. Hence, this is the equation that represent the calculations made to obtain the discounted price:

`x*(1-0.4)=150`, where x is the original price of the bread loaf.

2. Divide by (1 - 0.4) on both sides of the equation.

`x=(150)/((1-0.4))`

3. Calculate.

`x=250.`

4. Express your result.

The original price per loaf is $250.