Question

Javier works in a photo lab and needs to make a reduced copy of a photograph that is 8 inches long. The customer wants the copy to have a length of 4.5 inches. Each time he presses the reduce button on the copier, the copy is reduced by 12%. Javier and his boss had an argument, because Javier claimed that pressing the button 5 times would be enough to fulfill the customer's request. His boss said that pressing the button 5 times would result in a length less than the desired 4.5 inches. Which of the following conclusions can be made?

Answer 1

The correct answer is

D. Javier's boss is correct and he should not press the button five times.

Answer 2

To find the percentage that the customer wants reduced, we use this equation:
8n = 4.5
n = 4.5/8
n = 0.5626
Because javier believes that reducing 12% 5 times would work, he is assuming that:
56.26 - 60 = 0
This is not the case.
Javier's boss is correct.