Question

a store offers two discounts on an item priced at $24.80.

• a $3 off coupon
• b 15% off coupon

does the order in which the coupons are applied matter?
a) simplify the expression below to find the cost when the $3 coupon is applied first.
b) simplify the expression to find the cost when the 15% coupon is applied first.
c) after doing the math above, does the order in which the coupons are applied matter?

Explanation:

Step1: Apply $3 coupon first

$\$24.80 - \$3 = \$21.80$

Step2: Apply 15% discount to result

$\$21.80 \times (1 - 0.15) = \$21.80 \times 0.85 = \$18.53$

Step3: Apply 15% coupon first

$\$24.80 \times (1 - 0.15) = \$24.80 \times 0.85 = \$21.08$

Step4: Apply $3 discount to result

$\$21.08 - \$3 = \$18.08$

Step5: Compare the two final costs

$\$18.53
eq \$18.08$

Answer:

a) $\$18.53$
b) $\$18.08$
c) Yes, the order in which the coupons are applied matters.