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Worked example

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Successive percentage changes

Track the changing base in a price increase followed by a discount, with an explanation for every answer.

Question

A subscription costs €80. Its price rises by 25%, then the new price is discounted by 20%. What is the final price?

  1. a.€76
  2. b.€80
  3. c.€84
  4. d.€100

Correct answer

B. €80

Full reasoning

  1. 1Write each change as a multiplier: 1.25 for the increase and 0.80 for the discount.
  2. 2Calculate 80 × 1.25 × 0.80 = 80.
  3. 3The percentage changes use different bases: the €20 increase is 25% of €80, while the €20 decrease is 20% of €100.
  4. 4To undo a 25% rise, divide by 1.25. The inverse multiplier is 0.80, not 0.75.

Why each choice is right or wrong

Choice A

Subtracting percentage points treats both changes as if they used the original base.

Choice B

Correct. Multiplying €80 by 1.25 gives €100; the subsequent 20% discount subtracts €20, leaving €80.

Choice C

A net increase of five percentage points is not the same as successive multipliers.

Choice D

This is the price after the 25% increase, before applying the required 20% discount to that new price.

Related formula

Successive percentage changes

final = initial × (1 + r1) × (1 + r2)

Assumptions: Each change is relative to the value immediately before that change.

Related topic and practice

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Sources

Original authored exercise; no database question ID and no protected or official exam-bank content. Specialist review pending.

  1. Prealgebra 2e, Section 6.5: Solve Proportions and Their ApplicationsOpenStax. Accessed 2026-07-11. OpenStax textbook content is CC BY 4.0; attribute and avoid verbatim reuse beyond short cited references.
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Sources and corrections

Sources last checked 2026-09-13

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