To find the original price before the discount was applied, follow these steps:
1. Understand the Information Given:
- You know the discount percentage is 75%.
- The sale price of the item after the discount is [tex]$2.25.
2. Express the Relationship Mathematically:
- If the original price is denoted by \( P \), applying a 75% discount means you only pay 25% of the original price.
- Therefore, \( 25\% \) of the original price \( P \) is equal to the sale price:
\[
0.25P = 2.25
\]
3. Solve for the Original Price:
- To find \( P \), divide both sides of the equation by 0.25:
\[
P = \frac{2.25}{0.25}
\]
4. Perform the Division:
- Calculate the division:
\[
P = 9.0
\]
5. Conclusion:
- The original price of the item before the discount is $[/tex]9.00.
Thus, the original price, to the nearest cent, is $9.00.