Find the cost price of an article which is sold for Rs 200 at a loss of 20%

Answer

To find the cost price of an article sold for Rs. 200 at a loss of 20%, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Loss**:
- When an article is sold at a loss of 20%, it means that the selling price (SP) is 80% of the cost price (CP). This is because 100% - 20% = 80%.

2. **Setting Up the Equation**:
- Let the cost price be \( x \).
- Since the selling price is Rs. 200, we can express this relationship as:
\[ SP = 80\% \text{ of } CP \]
\[ 200 = 0.8 \times x \]

3. **Solving for Cost Price**:
- To find \( x \), we can rearrange the equation:
\[ x = \frac{200}{0.8} \]

4. **Calculating the Cost Price**:
- Now, we can perform the division:
\[ x = \frac{200}{0.8} = 250 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the cost price of the article is Rs. 250.

### Final Answer:
The cost price of the article is Rs. 250.