Answer: 36.56 dollars
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Work Shown:
part/whole = percent/100
x/457 = 8/100
100x = 457*8
100x = 3656
x = 3656/100
x = 36.56
Bill makes $36.56 when he sells $457 worth of furniture.
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Explanation:
The left side of the first equation represents tying together the part and the whole. The part is the amount Bill makes (some small percentage of the $457) and the whole is the amount of furniture sold in dollars (the 457 figure itself).
As a somewhat easier example, let's say bill earned 16 dollars when selling 200 dollars worth of furniture. That would mean part/whole = 16/200 = 0.08 = 8% is his commission rate.
Going back to the problem at hand, we don't know what the 'part' is, so we call it x. The whole is 457. So part/whole = x/457. We set this equal to the 8/100 you mentioned earlier to set up that first equation.
Afterward, we cross multiply and solve for x. You should get x = 36.56
To check the answer, note how part/whole = (36.56)/(457) = 0.08 = 8%
You could also check the answer by saying
8% of 457 = (8/100)*457 = 0.08*457 = 36.56
