Final answer:
To find the cost of each soccer ball before the coupon and tax, first determine the initial total by adding the coupon value to the total paid, which is $53.40. Next, divide this amount by the total number of soccer balls to find that each soccer ball cost $4.45 before the coupon was applied.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the individual cost of each soccer ball after applying a coupon and before tax. Mike ordered 12 new soccer balls and had a $10 off coupon, which made his total before tax $43.40. To find the cost per ball, we first need to determine the initial total cost of the soccer balls before the coupon was applied.
The initial total is $43.40 (post-coupon) + $10 (coupon value) = $53.40. Now, to calculate the cost per ball, we divide the initial total cost by the number of soccer balls:
Cost per ball = Initial total ÷ Number of soccer balls
Cost per ball = $53.40 ÷ 12
Cost per ball = $4.45
Therefore, the cost of each soccer ball before the coupon and tax was $4.45.