in 2021, your strawberry harvest yielded 203 pounds of strawberries. 203lbs is a 40% increase from last year’s harvest. How many pounds of strawberries were harvested last year?

Answer 1

Hello Samson,

203 lbs represents a 40% increase from the previous year.

Suppose x is last year's production. If this year's production is 40% more, it means it equals x + 0.40*x = 1.4x

Now you set 1.4x = 203

Divide both sides by 1.4 ---> x = 203/1.4 = 145 lbs

Check: Start with 145, add 40% of 145 which is 145 * 40% = 58 ----> 145 + 58 = 203

Answer: 145 pounds were harvested last year.

Answer 2

Last year is x lbs. So, 0.4x = 203; x = 203/0.4 = 507.5 lbs