(a) A shop owner marked a shirt at a price to enable him to make...

MATHEMATICS
WAEC 1999

(a) A shop owner marked a shirt at a price to enable him to make a gain of 20%. During a special sales period, the shirt was sold at 10% reduction to a customer at N864.00. What was the original cost to the shop owner?

(b) A rectangular lawn of length (x + 5) metres is (x - 2) metres wide. If the diagonal is (x + 6) metres, find ;

(i) the value of x ; (ii) the area of lawn.

Explanation

(a) Price with 20% gain = 100% = x

Selling price = 100% - 10% = 90%

i.e. 90% of x = 864

\(\therefore x = 864 \times \frac{100}{90} = N960\)

Let cost price = y = 100%

x = 20% of y + y = 120% of y.

\(y = \frac{100}{120} x = \frac{100}{120} \times N960 = N800\)

(b)area of lawn

(i) \((x + 6)^{2} = (x + 5)^{2} + (x - 2)^{2}\)

\(x^{2} + 12x + 36 = x^{2} + 10x + 25 + x^{2} - 4x + 4\)

\(x^{2} + 12x + 36 = 2x^{2} + 6x + 29\)

\(2x^{2} - x^{2} + 6x - 12x + 29 - 36 = 0\)

\(x^{2} - 6x - 7 = 0\)

\(x^{2} - 7x + x - 7 = 0 \implies x(x - 7) + 1(x - 7) = 0\)

\((x - 7)(x + 1) = 0 \implies \text{x = 7 or -1}\)

Since measurements cannot be negative, then x = 7 is the suitable answer.

(ii) Length of the lawn = (x + 5) metres = (7 + 5) = 12 metres.

Width of the lawn = (x - 2) metres = (7 - 2) = 5 metres

\(\therefore \text{The area of the lawn} = 12 \times 5 = 60 m^{2}\)



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