John worked at a bookstore for two weeks. The second week he earned 20 percent more than he did the first week. If he earned $300 the second week, how much did he earn the first week?
John earned $250 the first week.
In order to calculate how much John earned in the first week, we need to realize from the question that the second week's earnings are 120% of the first week's earnings, because he earned 20% more than he did the first week. Therefore, to find the first week's earnings, we divide the second week's earnings by 1.20 (which represents 120%).
If we assume that John earned $240 the first week, his earnings for the second week would be $240 plus 20% of $240, which equals $288. This does not match the given information that he earned $300 the second week.
If John earned $250 the first week, then his earnings for the second week would be $250 plus 20% of $250, which equals $300. This matches the information given in the question.
If we assume that John earned $280 the first week, his earnings for the second week would be $280 plus 20% of $280, which equals $336. This does not match the given information that he earned $300 the second week.
If John earned $380 the first week, then his earnings for the second week would actually decrease, not increase. The question states that John earned more in the second week, so this cannot be correct.
Given that John's earnings in the second week were 20% higher than the first week and equaled $300, we can conclude that his earnings for the first week were $250. This is confirmed by calculating 20% of $250 and adding it to the base $250, resulting in the second week's earnings of $300. The other options either result in incorrect calculations or contradict the information given in the question.
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