Question

Abby paid $43.04 for a pair of shoes. That price includes a sales tax of 8.5%. What was the original price?

a) $39.68
b) $40.00
c) $42.00
d) $45.00

Answer 1

The original price of the shoes before tax can be found by dividing the total price by 1 plus the sales tax rate expressed as a decimal. After performing the calculation ($43.04 / 1.085), the result is approximately $39.67, making answer choice (a) $39.68 the correct original price.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the original price of the shoes before tax, we need to work backwards from the total price that includes the sales tax. Abby paid $43.04 for a pair of shoes with an 8.5% sales tax. To find the original price, we divide the total price by 1 plus the sales tax rate expressed as a decimal. The sales tax rate as a decimal is 0.085 (8.5% / 100 = 0.085). So, we add 1 to the sales tax rate, which gives us 1.085. Now, we divide the total price by this number: $43.04 / 1.085.

The calculation is as follows:

• Total price including tax: $43.04
• Sales tax rate as a decimal: 0.085
• Calculation: $43.04 / (1 + 0.085) = $43.04 / 1.085
• Original price calculation: $43.04 / 1.085 = $39.67 (rounded to the nearest cent)

Answer choice (a) $39.68 is the closest to our calculation, so the original price of the shoes before tax was approximately $39.68.