Q. Joseph's Books sold 741 bookmarks this year. That is 90% more than the store sold last year. How many bookmarks did Joseph's Books sell last year?
Understand Problem: Understand the problem and identify what is given and what needs to be found.We are given that Joseph's Books sold 741 bookmarks this year, which is 90% more than last year. We need to find the number of bookmarks sold last year.
Let x be Number: Let the number of bookmarks sold last year be x. According to the problem, the number of bookmarks sold this year is 90% more than last year. This means that this year's sales are 100% of last year's sales plus an additional 90% of last year's sales.
Translate into Equation: Translate the information into an equation. The equation to represent the situation is: 741=x+0.90x
Combine Like Terms: Combine like terms to simplify the equation.741=1x+0.90x741=1.90x
Solve for x: Solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by 1.90. x=1.90741
Perform Division: Perform the division to find the value of x.x=390
Verify Solution: Verify that the solution makes sense in the context of the problem. If Joseph's Books sold 390 bookmarks last year, then 90% more would be 390×0.90=351 bookmarks more. Adding the additional bookmarks to last year's sales gives us 390+351=741 bookmarks, which matches the number given for this year's sales.
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