Final answer:
The total cost of an item that costs $27 with a 25% off sale and a 7% sales tax is calculated by first determining the discounted price and then adding tax. The discounted price is $20.25, and the tax is $1.42, resulting in a total cost of $21.67.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves calculating the total cost of an item after a discount and the addition of sales tax. This is a typical high school level math problem, often covered when students learn about percentages and real-world math applications such as sales and taxes. To find the correct total, we need to take the following steps:
- Calculate the discount amount by multiplying the original price by the discount percentage (converted to a decimal).
- Subtract the discount from the original price to get the discounted price.
- Calculate the sales tax on the discounted price by multiplying by the tax percentage (converted to a decimal).
- Add the sales tax to the discounted price to get the total cost.
Now, applying these steps to the given problem:
- The original price of the item is $27.
- The discount is 25%, which as a decimal is 0.25. So, $27 × 0.25 = $6.75.
- The discounted price is $27 - $6.75 = $20.25.
- The sales tax is 7%, which as a decimal is 0.07. So, $20.25 × 0.07 = $1.4175, which rounds to $1.42 when rounded to the nearest cent.
- The total cost after adding the sales tax is $20.25 + $1.42 = $21.67.
Therefore, the correct answer to the question is $21.67.