Write an algebraic equation for the following problem and then solve it.A town's employment statistics show that 867 of its residents were unemployed last month. This is a decrease of 15% from the previous month. How many residents were unemployed in the previous month?
Q. Write an algebraic equation for the following problem and then solve it.A town's employment statistics show that 867 of its residents were unemployed last month. This is a decrease of 15% from the previous month. How many residents were unemployed in the previous month?
Define variable for previous month: Step 1: Define the variable for the previous month's unemployment.Let p be the number of unemployed residents in the previous month.Current unemployment = p−15% of p.Calculation: 867=p−0.15p
Simplify equation to solve: Step 2: Simplify the equation to solve for p. Combine like terms. 0.85p=867
Solve for p: Step 3: Solve for p by dividing both sides by 0.85.p=0.85867p=1020.5882352941176
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