Concept

Discount Applications in Percent Problems

A discount is a reduction in the original (regular) price of an item, typically expressed as a percent. Two key relationships govern discount problems:

  1. Amount of discount:

amount of discount=discount rate×original price\text{amount of discount} = \text{discount rate} \times \text{original price}

  1. Sale price:

sale price=original priceamount of discount\text{sale price} = \text{original price} - \text{amount of discount}

The discount rate is a percent that must be converted to its decimal form before multiplying. For instance, if a jacket originally priced at $80\$80 is offered at a 25%25\% discount, the amount of discount is 0.25×80=200.25 \times 80 = 20, so the sale price is 8020=$6080 - 20 = \$60. To solve discount word problems, identify which quantities are given (original price, discount rate, discount amount, or sale price), set up the appropriate equation using the relationships above, and solve for the unknown. These calculations are a direct application of the basic percent equation structure: the discount amount "is" a certain percent "of" the original price.

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Updated 2026-05-03

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