Question

The sales tax rate is 8%. If c represents the cost of an item and s represents the amount of sales tax, which of the following equations represents the relationship between c and s?

a)c = 0.8 s
b)s = 0.08 c
c)s = c + 0.08
d)c = s + 8

Answer 1

The equation representing the relationship between the cost of an item (c) and the sales tax (s) at a rate of 8% is s = 0.08c, which converts the percentage to a decimal and multiplies it by the item's cost.

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between the cost of an item (c) and the sales tax (s) depends on the sales tax rate. In this case, the sales tax rate is given as 8%. To find the amount of sales tax on an item, you convert the percentage rate to a decimal and then multiply it by the cost of the item. Therefore, the correct equation to represent the relationship between c and s is s = 0.08c, which is option (b).

For instance, if the cost of an item is $150.00 and the sales tax is 10%, you calculate the sales tax by multiplying $150.00 by 0.10, resulting in $15.00. Conversely, if the sales tax is 8%, you would multiply the cost by 0.08. As an example, if you buy goods worth $22.00, you would calculate the sales tax as $22.00 multiplied by 0.08 to get a sales tax amount of $1.76.