16Hit1600
AlgebraHardCost price from a markup and a discount

Algebra practice question

A shop sets its price by adding 40% to the cost of an item. During a sale, 25% is taken off the shop's price, and a customer pays $84. What was the cost of the item to the shop, in dollars?

Answer: 80

Price = 1.4c; sale price = 0.75(1.4c) = 1.05c = 84 → c = 80.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 60
60 comes from 1.4c = 84, ignoring the sale.
If you answered 112
112 is the shop's price before the sale (1.4 × 80).
If you answered 73.04
73.04 comes from 84 ÷ 1.15, treating the two percents as a net 15%.

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