A shirt originally cost $40, but is now on sale for 20% off. What is the sale price of the shirt?
The correct answer and explanation is:
The original price of the shirt is $40. It is on sale with a 20% discount.
To find the sale price, first calculate how much the discount is in dollars. A 20% discount means 20 out of every 100 dollars is taken off. To find 20% of $40, multiply 40 by 0.20:
20% of $40 = 40 × 0.20 = $8
This means the shirt’s price is reduced by $8.
Next, subtract the discount amount from the original price to get the sale price:
Sale price = Original price – Discount
Sale price = 40 – 8 = $32
Therefore, the sale price of the shirt is $32.
Explanation:
When a product is offered at a certain percentage off, the percentage represents a portion of the original price that will be subtracted from it. To calculate the discount amount, convert the percentage to a decimal by dividing by 100. Multiplying this decimal by the original price gives the dollar amount of the discount.
After determining the discount amount, subtracting it from the original price gives the final sale price. This method applies to any item with a percentage discount.
In this case, the 20% discount is straightforward: 20% means 20 out of 100, which is 0.20 as a decimal. Multiplying $40 by 0.20 results in $8, the amount reduced from the price.
Subtracting $8 from $40 leaves $32, which is the amount the customer pays at the sale.
This approach ensures you always calculate the exact price after a percentage discount by following these simple steps: convert percentage to decimal, multiply by original price to find discount, then subtract discount from original price to find the sale price.