The revenue of a certain company decreased by \( 15 \% \) in the first quarter, decreased by \( 15 \% \) in the second quarter, increased by \( 10 \% \) in the third quarter, and decreased by \( 8 \% \) in the fourth quarter. Did revenue increase or decrease overall? It increased It decreased What is the average rate of growth or decline? Enter your answer as a positive number in percent form, rounded to one decimal places.

Let's analyze the company's revenue over the four quarters step by step. ### Quarterly Revenue Changes: 1. **First Quarter**: Decreased by **15%** - Starting Revenue: \( \$100 \) (assuming a base value for calculation) - New Revenue: \( 100 \times (1 - 0.15) = \$85 \) 2. **Second Quarter**: Decreased by **15%** - Starting Revenue: \( \$85 \) - New Revenue: \( 85 \times (1 - 0.15) = \$72.25 \) 3. **Third Quarter**: Increased by **10%** - Starting Revenue: \( \$72.25 \) - New Revenue: \( 72.25 \times (1 + 0.10) = \$79.475 \) 4. **Fourth Quarter**: Decreased by **8%** - Starting Revenue: \( \$79.475 \) - New Revenue: \( 79.475 \times (1 - 0.08) = \$73.0862 \) ### Overall Revenue Change: - **Starting Revenue**: \( \$100 \) - **Ending Revenue**: \( \$73.09 \) (rounded to two decimal places) - **Overall Change**: \( 73.09 - 100 = -26.91\% \) **Conclusion**: The revenue **decreased** overall. ### Average Rate of Growth or Decline: To find the average rate of change over the four quarters: 1. **Sum of Quarterly Changes**: - \( -15\% \) (First Quarter) - \( -15\% \) (Second Quarter) - \( +10\% \) (Third Quarter) - \( -8\% \) (Fourth Quarter) - **Total**: \( -15 -15 +10 -8 = -28\% \) 2. **Average Change**: - \( \frac{-28\%}{4} = -7\% \) **Average Rate of Decline**: **7.0%** --- **Answer Summary**: - **It decreased** - **Average rate of decline: 7.0%**