Nathan wants to buy a sweatshirt and is trying to determine the better buy. He has a 30 % coupon for the in-store purchase. The store charges $36 for the sweatshirt he wants. However, he found the same sweatshirt online for $32 and gets 25 % off as a first-time buyer. There are no shipping charges. Which is the better buy? By how much? Use the Polya problem solving method to solve this problem.

Buy in-store.

Explanation:

The Polya technique suggests the following steps to solve a problem:

Step 1: Understand the problem.

Nathan is facing two options for buying a new sweatshirt. We need to calculate and compare both prices in order to determine the better buy.

Step 2: Devise a plan.

To calculate and compare the prices we need to discount the coupons on both options and then buy the sweatshirt with the lower price.

Step 3: Carry out the plan (solve).

Option A

Price: $36

Discount: - 30%

Final price option A : 36 * (1 - 30%) = 25.2

Option B

Price: $32

Discount: - 25%

Final price option B: 32 * (1 - 25%) = 24

Step 4: Look back (check and interpret).

Final price option A < Final price option B.

With this analysis in cosideration, we deduce that the better buy is the option A. In-store purchase.