Last season, a farmer harvested $500\mathrm{kg}$ of rice. Due to improved techniques, the harvest is estimated to increase by $20\%$ this season. How much rice is the farmer looking to harvest this season?

• A. $400\mathrm{kg}$
• B. $500\mathrm{kg}$
• C. $600\mathrm{kg}$
• D. $520\mathrm{kg}$

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the original amount of rice harvested last season, which is given as 500 kg.
2. Recognize that the harvest is expected to increase by 20%, which means the increase is 20% of the original 500 kg.
3. Convert the percentage increase to a decimal by dividing 20 by 100, so 20% becomes 0.20.
4. Calculate the amount of increase by multiplying the original harvest by the decimal increase: \$500 \times 0.20$.
5. Add the increase to the original harvest to find the estimated harvest this season: \$500 + (500 \times 0.20)$.