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Two methods, one answer
Every worked example shows more than one route, so you can keep the method that makes sense to you.
The question
A £80 jacket is reduced by 25%. What is the sale price?
Method, step by step
- 1
Method 1 — find the discount: 25% of 80 = 80 ÷ 4 = 20. Then 80 − 20 = 60.
- 2
Method 2 — find what you still pay: 100% − 25% = 75%, and 0.75 × 80 = 60.
- 3
Both give the same result, so use whichever is quicker for the numbers in front of you.
- 4
Method 2 wins for awkward percentages, e.g. 17% off means paying 0.83 × price in one step.
Answer
£60
Why it works
A percentage change is a multiplier. Learning to jump straight to the multiplier saves a whole step in every later problem, including compound interest.
Try these next
- £120 reduced by 15%
- A price increased by 8%
- Two successive 10% discounts — is that 20%?