A vendor sells 20 percent of the pears he had and throws away 50 percent of the remainder. The next day, the vendor sells 20 percent of the remaining pears and throws away the rest. In total, what percent of his pears does the vendor throw away? Choose the correct choice from the following answers
A) 56
B) 60
C) 64
D) 68
E) 72

Rationale: let x be the original number of pears . on day one , the vendor throws away ( 0.5 ) ( 0.8 ) x = 0.4 x . the remaining pears are ( 0.5 ) ( 0.8 ) x = 0.4 x . on day two , the vendor throws away ( 0.8 ) ( 0.4 ) x = 0.32 x . the vendor throws away a total of 0.4 x + 0.32 x = 0.72 x . the vendor throws away 72 percent of the pears . the answer is e .
Answer: E