A sweater is on sale for 40% off.On an early bird special, Allison got an additional 20% off.What percent of the original price did Alison pay?

Question

I don't understand.

Answer 1

Let's say the item price is $10. (Just choose any convenient number for this.)

So 40% off means it now costs: (1-0.40) * $10 = $6

An additional 20% means it now costs: (1-0.20) * $6 = $4.8 (NOTE: Remember that we have to use the already discounted price)

So the final price is what percent of original price:

= (4.8 /10) * 100 = 48%

Alison paid 48% of the original price.

 

Answer 2

We can use real numbers to quickly figure this problem out. Let's just say that the original price was $100. 40% off of this value would result in $60 dollars. An additional 20% off would result in $48. If we compare the $48 to the original price of $100, we see that it is 52% off the original price. Thus she paid 48% of the original price.