Question

OfficeMax.com sells pencils to individuals and organizations. For up to ten boxes of pencils, they cost $1.97 per box and $3 shipping and handling. If a school wants to order more than 10 and less than 50 boxes of pencils, they get a 10% discount and must pay $10 shipping and handling. If an organization buys 50 boxes or more, they get free shipping and a 12% discount. If we have to program the website to give customers a subtotal, what equation can we use?

Answer 1

To calculate the subtotal for OfficeMax.com pencil orders, apply pricing tiers based on order quantity, with discounts represented as decimals (10% as 0.90, 12% as 0.88), and add the respective shipping fees to get the correct subtotal.

Step-by-step explanation:

To create a program that calculates the subtotal for an order on OfficeMax.com, you need to set up different pricing tiers based on the quantity of boxes ordered. Below is the equation that can be used to determine the subtotal:

• For orders of 10 boxes or fewer: Subtotal = (Number of boxes × $1.97) + $3 shipping
• For orders of more than 10 boxes and fewer than 50 boxes: Subtotal = (Number of boxes × $1.97 × 0.90) + $10 shipping
• For orders of 50 boxes or more: Subtotal = (Number of boxes × $1.97 × 0.88)

The discount is represented as a decimal where a 10% discount is 0.90 (100% - 10% = 90%, or 0.90) and a 12% discount is 0.88 (100% - 12% = 88%, or 0.88). This equation will give the correct subtotal before any taxes or additional fees are considered. It is important to ensure the programming logic accurately assesses the quantity to apply the appropriate discount and shipping cost.