Question

Lou Harris is guaranteed a minimum $275 weekly salary plus 5.25% of his total sales. What were his total sales for a week in which his gross pay was $700?

Answer 1

So he had a gross of $700, now 700 - 275 is 425, since 275 is what his weekly salary is, then the 425 is the 5.25% from the sales.

let's say "x" is the total amount for the sales, namely the 100%, but we also know that 5.25% of that is 425, the leftover from the 700 bucks minus his salary, what is "x" anyway?

$\bf \begin{array}{ccll} amount&\%\\ \text{\textemdash\textemdash\textemdash}&\text{\textemdash\textemdash\textemdash}\\ x&100\\ 425&5.25 \end{array}\implies \cfrac{x}{425}=\cfrac{100}{5.25}\implies x=\cfrac{425\cdot 100}{5.25}$