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Explanation:
14 & 2/25 = 14 + 2/25 = 14 + 0.08 = 14.08
The mixed number 14 & 2/25 is the same as the decimal 14.08
The goal is to end up with 14.08 pounds of coffee.
Let x be the starting amount of coffee, in pounds. It will decrease to 14.08 pounds.
We start with x and decrease by 12%. So we are computing this expression
x - 12% of x = 1x - 0.12x = (1-0.12)x = 0.88x = 88% of x
We can see that if we lose 12%, we keep the remaining 88%
The 0.88x is the final weight.
Set 0.88x equal to the goal of 14.08 and solve for x.
0.88x = 14.08
x = (14.08)/(0.88)
x = 16
You'll need to start off with 16 pounds of coffee if you want to end up with 14.08 pounds after losing that 12%
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Check:
12% of 16 = 0.12*16 = 1.92
16 - 1.92 = 14.08
The answer is confirmed.
