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The sales of an article increases by 20% every week. The difference between the sales of the second week and the fourth week is Rs. 660. What were sales of the article in the third week?

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Write each week's sales as a multiple of week 1 using the common ratio 1.2, then use the given difference between week 2 and week 4 to find the actual numbers.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • Rs. 1,360
  • Rs. 1,480
  • Rs. 1,500
  • Rs. 1,800
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Make week 3 the unknown instead of week 1.
Let the third week's sales be W. Since sales grow 20% each week, week 2 is one step behind week 3 and week 4 is one step ahead: \[ \text{Week 2} = \frac{W}{1.2}, \qquad \text{Week 4} = 1.2W \]

Step 2: Use the given difference directly on W.
\[ 1.2W - \frac{W}{1.2} = 660 \]

Step 3: Clear the fraction and solve.
Multiply both sides by 1.2: \[ 1.44W - W = 792 \] \[ 0.44W = 792 \] \[ W = \frac{792}{0.44} = 1800 \]

Step 4: Confirm the answer.
This gives week 3 sales directly, without first working out week 1. Checking: week 2 = 1800/1.2 = 1500, week 4 = 1800 x 1.2 = 2160, and 2160 - 1500 = 660, which matches the given difference.
The sales in the third week were Rs. 1,800. \[ \boxed{Rs.\ 1{,}800} \]
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