Question

David bought 9 t-shirts for $36. The store charges a 6.5% sales tax on the total cost. What will be the

total cost of the shirts, including tax?

Answer 1

In order to calculate the sales tax of an item, we need to first multiply the pre-tax cost of the item by the sales tax percentage after it has been converted into a decimal. Once the sales tax has been calculated it needs to be added to the pre-tax value in order to find the total cost of the item. Let's start by working with an example. If a magazine costs $2.35 and has a 6% sales tax, then what is the total cost of the item. First, we need to convert the sales tax percentage into a decimal by moving the point two spaces to the left.

6%→0.06

Now, we need to multiply the pre-tax cost of this item by this value in order to calculate the sales tax cost.

\textup{Sales tax}=0.06\times\$2.35

\textup{Sales tax}=\$0.141

Round to two decimal places since our total is in dollars and cents.

\textup{Sales tax}=\$0.14

Last, add this value to the pre-tax value of the item to find the total cost.

\textup{Total cost}=\textup{Pre-tax value}+\textup{Sales tax}

\textup{Total cost}=\$2.35+\$0.14

\textup{Total cost}=\$2.49

Explanation:

Answer 2

Total cost of 9 t-shirts = $36

Percentage of tax on the total cost = 6.5%

Tax on the total cost :

`= 6.5\% \: of \: \: 36`

`= (6.5 * 36)/(100)`

`= (234)/(100)`

`= \color{hotpink}\$ \: 2.34`

Thus, the total tax on the shirts = $2.34

Total cost of the shirts including tax :

`= 36 + 2.34`

`=\color{hotpink} \bold{\$ \: \: 38.34}`

Therefore, the total cost of the shirts including tax = $38.34