Final answer:
Mrs. Baker's total purchase was $7.44. She gave the clerk a $10 bill, so her change is calculated by subtracting the total purchase from $10, resulting in $2.56 in change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mrs. Baker's total purchase consists of a sticky bun, a cup of coffee, and a half dozen sticky buns to go. To calculate the total cost, we add the price of the sticky bun ($1.25), the cup of coffee ($0.79), and the half dozen sticky buns ($5.40):
- Sticky bun: $1.25
- Cup of coffee: $0.79
- Half dozen sticky buns: $5.40
Adding these amounts together, we get:
$1.25 + $0.79 + $5.40 = $7.44
Since Mrs. Baker gave the clerk a $10.00 bill, we need to calculate the change she should receive. We subtract the total cost from the amount given to the clerk:
$10.00 - $7.44 = $2.56
Therefore, Mrs. Baker would receive $2.56 in change.