Question

Olivia started the school year with 14 pencils, and now has 28 pencils. She says, “This is a 200% increase because I have twice as many pencils as I started with!” Is she correct or incorrect? Why?

Answer 1

Answer: Olivia is incorrect.

Step-by-step explanation:

Since Olivia had twice as much, a 200% increase means x + 2x, which is basically 3x. She actually has a 100% increase, because she has 2x as much, not 2x more. If she actually had 200% more, she would have 42 pencils instead.