Final answer:
To calculate sales tax on a $55.60 purchase with a 6% tax rate, convert the rate to 0.06, multiply by the total, and round to the nearest penny, resulting in $3.34 in sales tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of sales tax the student must pay on purchases totaling $55.60 with a sales tax rate of 6%, the student will need to convert the percentage into a decimal form to perform the calculation. This is done by dividing the tax rate by 100. So, 6% becomes 0.06 as a decimal. The student then multiplies the decimal sales tax rate by the total cost of the purchases to determine the amount of sales tax owed.
So, the calculation will be: $55.60 × 0.06 = $3.336.
To ensure the tax amount is suitable for a financial transaction, it is important to round the result to the nearest penny. This gives us $3.34 in sales tax. Finally, to find the total amount paid, the student would add the original purchase total to the sales tax.