A fruit seller had some apples. He sells 40% apples and still has 420 apples. Originally, he had:

Given data

• He sells 40% of the apples.
• Apples left after selling = 420 (this is the remaining 60%).

Step 1: Relate remainder to the wholeIf 40% were sold, then 60% remained.60% of original = 420

Step 2: Solve for the original count0.60 × Original = 420Original = 420 ÷ 0.60 = 700

Common pitfalls

• Do not subtract 40 from 420; 40% is a percentage, not a count.
• Recognize that 420 represents the remaining 60%.

Final AnswerOriginally, he had 700 apples.