Question

A clothing dealer sold two shirts at 12$ each. On one he made a profit of $20; on the other he lost $20. How many dollars did he lose on the two sales combined?

Answer 1

0 (his combined loss is zero)

Step-by-step explanation:

Given a profit of $20 on the sale of the first shirt,

and a loss of $20 (the same amount) on the sale of the second shirt,

The combined loss = $20 + (-$20)

= $0.

So long as the absolute values of the profit and loss are equal, the combined effect will be zero. However, selling a cloth at $12 and making a profit of $20 (a higher figure than the sales amount) is highly doubtful. This will nevertheless not affect the combined effect of an equal amount of profit and loss.