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Question

Radha bought a fridge and a washing machine together for Rs. 57300. She sold the fridge at a profit of 15% and washing machine at a loss of 24% and both are sold at the same price. The cost price of washing machine (in Rs.) is:

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 Tier-II (English) Previous Year Paper (29-Jan-2022)
The correct answer is

34500

Solving the Fridge and Washing Machine Cost Price Problem

This problem involves calculating the original cost price of a washing machine given the total cost of a fridge and washing machine, the profit/loss percentages on their sales, and the fact that they were sold at the same price.

Understanding the Given Information

  • Total cost price of fridge and washing machine = Rs. 57300
  • Fridge sold at a profit of 15%
  • Washing machine sold at a loss of 24%
  • Both were sold at the same selling price.

Setting up the Equations

Let the cost price of the fridge be \(C_F\) and the cost price of the washing machine be \(C_W\).

From the problem statement, we have the following relationship for the total cost price:

\(C_F + C_W = 57300 \quad (1)\)

Now, let's look at the selling prices. The selling price (SP) is calculated differently for profit and loss:

  • Selling Price = Cost Price + Profit (for profit)
  • Selling Price = Cost Price - Loss (for loss)

Profit/Loss is given as a percentage of the cost price.

  • Profit on fridge = 15% of \(C_F\) = \(0.15 C_F\)
  • Loss on washing machine = 24% of \(C_W\) = \(0.24 C_W\)

The selling price of the fridge (\(S_F\)) is:

\(S_F = C_F + 0.15 C_F = C_F (1 + 0.15) = 1.15 C_F\)

The selling price of the washing machine (\(S_W\)) is:

\(S_W = C_W - 0.24 C_W = C_W (1 - 0.24) = 0.76 C_W\)

The problem states that the selling prices are the same:

\(S_F = S_W\)

So, we have:

\(1.15 C_F = 0.76 C_W \quad (2)\)

Solving for the Cost Price of the Washing Machine (\(C_W\))

We now have a system of two linear equations with two variables (\(C_F\) and \(C_W\)):

  1. \(C_F + C_W = 57300\)
  2. \(1.15 C_F = 0.76 C_W\)

From equation (2), we can express \(C_F\) in terms of \(C_W\):

\(C_F = \frac{0.76}{1.15} C_W\)

To simplify the fraction, multiply the numerator and denominator by 100:

\(C_F = \frac{76}{115} C_W\)

Now, substitute this expression for \(C_F\) into equation (1):

\(\frac{76}{115} C_W + C_W = 57300\)

Combine the \(C_W\) terms:

\(\left(\frac{76}{115} + 1\right) C_W = 57300\)

\(\left(\frac{76 + 115}{115}\right) C_W = 57300\)

\(\left(\frac{191}{115}\right) C_W = 57300\)

Now, solve for \(C_W\):

\(C_W = 57300 \times \frac{115}{191}\)

Let's perform the division:

\(57300 \div 191\)

We can see that \(191 \times 3 = 573\). So, \(57300 \div 191 = 300\).

\(C_W = 300 \times 115\)

\(C_W = 34500\)

So, the cost price of the washing machine is Rs. 34500.

We can also find the cost price of the fridge to verify:

\(C_F = 57300 - C_W = 57300 - 34500 = 22800\)

Let's check the selling prices:

\(S_F = 1.15 \times C_F = 1.15 \times 22800 = 26220\)

\(S_W = 0.76 \times C_W = 0.76 \times 34500 = 26220\)

Since \(S_F = S_W = 26220\), our calculation is correct.

Final Answer

The cost price of the washing machine is Rs. 34500.

Revision Table: Profit and Loss Calculations

Concept Formula (as a decimal) Formula (as a fraction)
Selling Price (with Profit) \(SP = CP \times (1 + \text{Profit %})\) \(SP = CP \times \left(1 + \frac{\text{Profit %}}{100}\right)\)
Selling Price (with Loss) \(SP = CP \times (1 - \text{Loss %})\) \(SP = CP \times \left(1 - \frac{\text{Loss %}}{100}\right)\)

Additional Information: Concepts in Profit and Loss

Understanding the basic concepts of cost price, selling price, profit, and loss is crucial for solving such problems.

  • Cost Price (CP): This is the original price at which an item is bought.
  • Selling Price (SP): This is the price at which an item is sold.
  • Profit: Occurs when SP > CP. Profit = SP - CP. Profit percentage is calculated on CP: Profit % = \(\frac{\text{Profit}}{CP} \times 100\).
  • Loss: Occurs when SP < CP. Loss = CP - SP. Loss percentage is calculated on CP: Loss % = \(\frac{\text{Loss}}{CP} \times 100\).

In this problem, we used the direct relationship between CP and SP based on the percentage profit or loss. If an item is sold at a 15% profit, the selling price is 115% of the cost price (100% CP + 15% Profit). If an item is sold at a 24% loss, the selling price is 76% of the cost price (100% CP - 24% Loss). These relationships are represented by the factors 1.15 and 0.76 in our calculations.

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Similar Questions

  1. Ram sells a suitcase to Mohan at a 20% profit. Mohan sells it to Shyam at a 40% profit. If Shyam pays Rs. 1,430 for it, then the price at which Ram bought it is:

  2. Successive discounts of 10% and 10% are equivalent to a single discount of:

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Important Questions from Successive Selling

  1. By selling a watch at Rs. 840 a person loses 4%. Find the gain or loss if he sold it for Rs. 875?

  2. Gaurav bought some articles at 5 for Rs. 6 and sold them at 10 for Rs. 11. His loss percentage is:

  3. The increase in the price of a certain item was 25%. Then the price was decreased by 20% and then again increased by 10%. What is the resultant increase in the price?

  4. The selling price of 24 articles is equal to the cost price of 26 articles. If, due to a change in market conditions, the selling price of each article decreases by $10\%$ and the cost price of each article increases by $5\%$, what will be the new gain or loss percentage (correct to two decimal places)?
  5. X sells goods to Y at a profit of 20 percent and Y sells the same goods to Z at a profit of 50 percent. If the cost price for Z is Rs 9000, then what is the cost of the goods for X?

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