A fruit seller had some apples. He sells 40% apples and still has 420 apples. Originally, he had _____?

Correct answer

700

Explanation

Explanation Given data : The seller sells 40% of his apples. After selling, he still has 420 apples. Concept/Formula : The concept used to solve this problem is related to "percentage". The seller was left with 60% of his apples (100% - 40% = 60%) when he had 420 apples left. Solution : ⇒ the 420 apples represent 60% of his original stock (since he sold 40%). ⇒ If 60% of the original stock equals 420 apples, then 1% can be calculated by dividing 420 by 60. Hence, 1% = 420 ÷ 60 = 7 apples. ⇒ Now, to find the total original stock (100%), the amount per 1% is multiplied by 100. Therefore, the original amount = 7 × 100 = 700 apples. Therefore, originally, he had 700 apples.