To save money, Arkadelphia Cream Cheese will reduce each dimension of

Hi All,

I'm a big fan of TESTing VALUES in these types of questions. That approach puts real numbers in front of you and makes the math really easy to handle. This question can also be solved with Algebra/Geometry though:

We're told that each dimension of a rectangular box will be reduced by 50% - in other words, they will all be cut in HALF. We're also told that the original price of the box will be cut in half.

Since the question does NOT state the dimensions are distinct, we can call each dimension "X"

Original Volume/Price:

Volume = (X)(X)(X)
Price = P

Volume/Price = (X^3)/P

Reduced Volume/Reduced Price

Volume = (X/2)(X/2)(X/2)
Price = (P/2)

Volume/Price = [(X^3)/8]/(P/2)

Now, multiply both the numerator and denominator by 8 (this will remove the fractions in each):

(X^3)/4P

Original Cheese Price = (X^3)/P
New Cheese Price = (X^3)/4P

In real basic terms, we're paying 4 TIMES the price for the same amount of cheese.

The question asks for the PERCENTAGE INCREASE in price/cheese....

Percentage Increase = (New - Old)/Old = (4P - P)/P = 3P/P = 3 = 300%

Final Answer:

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich