Final answer:
To calculate the sales tax in Murrieta on a taxable item priced at $2 2/5, multiply the price of the item by the sales tax rate. The City of Murrieta collects 21 cents (or 21 pennies) in sales tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the sales tax on a taxable item in Murrieta, you need to multiply the price of the item by the sales tax rate. The sales tax rate in Murrieta is 8 3/4 cents on every dollar spent. To convert a mixed number to a fraction, you multiply the whole number by the denominator and add the numerator. So, 2 2/5 can be written as 12/5.
Now, multiply the price of the item by the sales tax rate:
($2 2/5) x (8 3/4 cents) = ($12/5) x (35/4 cents)
To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators together and multiply the denominators together. Then, divide the product of the numerators by the product of the denominators. In this case:
($12/5) x (35/4 cents) = ($12 x 35) / (5 x 4 cents)
Calculate the products:
($420) / (20 cents)
Finally, simplify the fraction by dividing the numerator by the denominator:
$420 / 20 cents = $21
So, the City of Murrieta collects 21 cents (or 21 pennies) in sales tax on a taxable item priced at $2 2/5.