Question

Nick bought jeans for $34.95 and a shirt for $24.95. The cashier said the total cost including 8.5% sales tax was $68.40. Below are the steps the cashier completed: Step 1: 34.95 + 24.95 = 59.90 Step 2: 59.90 + 8.50 = 68.40 Are the cashier's steps correct? If not, explain the error and then state in complete sentences how to calculate sales tax and total cost correctly. Make sure you give the correct total. (Round the final answer to the nearest hundredth

Answer 1

The cashier is wrong

`Amount = 64.99`

Explanation:

Given

`Jeans=34.95`

`Shirt = 24.95`

`Sales\ Tax = 8.5\%`

Solving (a): Is the Cashier's step correct?

The cashier is wrong at step 2 because instead of calculating the sales tax, the cashier add the sales tax percentage to the total cost.

Solving (b):

First, calculate the total cost by adding the cost of jeans and shirt respectively:

`Total = 34.95 + 24.95`

`Total = 59.90`

Next, multiply the sales tax percentage to the total cost to get the sales tax amount.

`Sales\ Tax = 8.50\% * 59.90`

`Sales\ Tax = 5.0915`

Add the sales tax to the total, this gives the total payable amount.

`Amount = 59.90 + 5.0915`

`Amount = 64.9915`

`Amount = 64.99` approximated