A discount is a percentage taken off a price. Work it out in two steps: find the discount (that percentage of the price), then subtract it to get the new price. A $40 item at 25% off: 25% of $40 = $10 saved, so the new price is $40 − $10 = $30. The saving and the new price are two different amounts — read carefully which one the question wants. 'Off' always makes the price smaller, so the sale price should be lower than the original.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- discount
- an amount of money taken off the price
- saving
- how much money the discount is worth
- sale price
- the new, lower price after the discount
Worked examples
$40 at 25% off
- 1.25% of $40 = $10.
- 2.$40 − $10 = $30.
= 30
$60 at 10% off
- 1.10% of $60 = $6.
- 2.$60 − $6 = $54.
= 54
$80 at 50% off
- 1.50% of $80 = $40.
- 2.$80 − $40 = $40.
= 40
For parents
Method: Find the dollar saving, then take it off the price.
What to say: Ask which is wanted — the saving or the price paid — because both are in the problem.
Common mistakes:
- Giving the saving, not the new price ($40 at 25% off → 10).
- Subtracting the percent as dollars ($40 − $25 → 15).
- Adding the discount instead of subtracting (→ 50).