Retired Moderator
Joined: 07 Jun 2014
Posts: 4812
Given Kudos: 0
WE:Business Development (Energy and Utilities)
Re: At a warehouse, an order was shipped out, reducing the numbe
[#permalink]
01 Jul 2018, 14:09
Explanation
The number of parts in inventory first decreased by 50%, then increased by 50%.
If the initial number of parts in inventory was x, the number after both shipments was x(0.50)(1.5) = 0.75x.
The number of parts after the shipments was 75% of the number before, which is fewer. Quantity A is greater.
Alternatively, choose a smart number to test. If x = 100, then the inventory first decreased to 50, and then increased from 50 to 75. Quantity A is 100 and Quantity B is 75.
Finally, it is possible to solve this question using logic. The 50% decrease is taken as a percent of the original number. The 50% increase, however, is taken as a percent of the new, smaller number.
The increase, therefore, must be smaller than the decrease, making the final value smaller than the original.