Question about math percentages Here's the question, Dow Jones industrial average at the close of the days trading was $12,346$, a decline of $1.2\%$ use $x$ to be the value of the Dow at the start of the day into an equation relating $x$ to the closing value of $12,346$ to determine the value which the Dow opened? My thinking: Basically I represent $x(1.2-12,346)=$ the value? I'm confused at what $x$ represents, is the value of the Dow that day or the initial value?

It says "use **x** to be the value of the Dow at the start of the day". Then you are given that the end of day value was **12,346**. As the value declined $1/2\%$, this is $(100-1.2)\%=98.8\%$ of **x**. So the equation is $12346=0.988$ **x**