Mark buys last year's best-selling novel in hardcover for $20.80. This is with a 20% discount from the original price. What was the original price of the novel?

Well, it seems like Mark got quite a deal with that 20% discount. Let's do some quick math here. If $20.80 is 80% of the original price, then we can use our rusty math skills to find the original price.

We can set up an equation like this:

80% of x = $20.80

To solve for x, we'll divide both sides by 80% (or 0.8), because we don't want those pesky percentages getting in the way.

So, x = $20.80 รท 0.8.

After a quick tap dance on the calculator, we find that the original price of the novel was $26.

So, Mark got to enjoy the best-selling novel at quite a bargain!

To find the original price of the novel, we need to calculate the price after the discount.

The discount is 20%, which means Mark paid 80% of the original price.

Let's represent the original price as "x".

Therefore, 80% of x is equal to $20.80.

To find 80% of x, we can multiply x by 0.8:

0.8x = $20.80

To isolate x, we divide both sides of the equation by 0.8:

x = $20.80 / 0.8

Calculating this, we get:

x = $26

So, the original price of the novel was $26.

To find the original price of the novel, we need to reverse the 20% discount that Mark received. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Calculate the discount amount
The discount amount can be found by multiplying the original price by the discount rate. In this case, the discount rate is 20%, which can be written as 0.20. So, the discount amount is:
Discount amount = 0.20 * original price

Step 2: Calculate the discounted price
The discounted price is the original price minus the discount amount. In this case, the discounted price is given as $20.80. So, we have the equation:
Discounted price = Original price - Discount amount

Step 3: Solve for the original price
Rearrange the equation to solve for the original price:
Original price = Discounted price + Discount amount

Now, let's substitute the given values into the equation:

Discounted price = $20.80
Discount amount = 0.20 * original price

Substituting these values into the equation gives us:
Original price = $20.80 + (0.20 * original price)

Simplifying the equation:
Original price = $20.80 + 0.20 * original price
Original price = $20.80 + 0.20original price

Now, isolate the original price on one side of the equation:

Original price - 0.20original price = $20.80
0.80original price = $20.80
1original price = $20.80 / 0.80
Original price = $26.00

Therefore, the original price of the novel was $26.00.

.8x = 20.8

x = 20.8/.8 = ....