         LASPEYRES PRICE INDEX                                                  
                                                                                
COMPARING PRICES AT A FIXED TIME IN THE PAST, CALLED THE                        
BASE YEAR TO CURRENT PRICES IS NOT THAT SIMPLE. THIS IS                         
BECAUSE NEW ITEMS HIT THE MARKET AND USE OF OTHER ITEMS                         
CHANGE THROUGH THE YEARS. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR USES                     
A METHOD BY WHICH QUANTITIES FOR THE BASE YEAR ARE USED AND                     
ARE WEIGHTED ONCE WITH BASE YEAR PRICES AND ONCE WITH CURRENT                   
PRICES. THESE TWO WEIGHTINGS ARE DIVIDED AND THE QUOTIENT                       
IS MULTIPLIED BY 100 GIVING THE LASPEYRES PRICE INDEX.                          
IF THE INDEX IS GREATER THAN 100 THEN PRICES HAVE INCREASED.                    
                                                                                
PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE?                                                        
INPUT ITEMS IN INDEX 1 BY 1 AS REQUESTED. A NEGATIVE QUANTITY                   
MEANS THAT THE USER HAS FINISHED INPUTTING THE DATA.                            
                                                                                
FOR ITEM # 1  ENTER THE FOLLOWING:                                              
       BASE YEAR QUANTITY(NEGATIVE ENDS)? 45                                    
       BASE YEAR PRICE                  ? 67.89                                 
       CURRENT YEAR PRICE               ? 123.45                                
FOR ITEM # 2  ENTER THE FOLLOWING:                                              
       BASE YEAR QUANTITY(NEGATIVE ENDS)? 67                                    
       BASE YEAR PRICE                  ? 89.01                                 
       CURRENT YEAR PRICE               ? 234.56                                
FOR ITEM # 3  ENTER THE FOLLOWING:                                              
       BASE YEAR QUANTITY(NEGATIVE ENDS)? -1                                    
                                                                                
                                                                                
THE LASPEYRES PRICE INDEX EQUALS  235.851                                       
                                                                                
PRESS ENTER FOR MORE? -1                                                        
