What is 410- 25 percent - 12.5 percent - 2.25 percent equals?

Answer 1

The answer depends upon the understanding of to what the percentages refer:

• If they refer to a percentage of the original 410, then:

410 - (25% of 410) - (12.5% of 410) - (2.25% of 410) = 410 - 39.75% of 410

= 60.25% of 410

= 247.025

• If they refer to a percentage of the result so far, then:

((410 - 25% of it) - 12.5% of it) - 2.25% of it = ((410 x 75%) x 87.5%) x 97.75%

≈ 64.148% of 410

≈ 263.009

This kind of things often crops up in sales. There may be say a 25% off sale and a special extra 50% off for today only.

Most people would reason this as 25% + 50% = 75% off (leaving only 25% of the price to pay).

However, the shop is more than likely to apply this extra 50% off to the sale price which is 25% off the normal price.

25% off is the same as keeping 75%, therefore this extra discount is 50% of 75% of the price, that is only an extra 37.5% of the price off.

Thus the total discount is 25% + 37.5% = 62.5% of the original price, leaving 37.5% of the price to pay.