Final answer:
The Clarks paid $180.98 total, which includes the price of the chair and the sales tax. By setting up an equation, we can find the original price of the chair. Since the Clarks paid less than the original price, they did not pay the correct amount.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Clarks paid $180.98 total, which includes the price of the chair and the sales tax. To determine if they paid the correct amount, we need to calculate how much the chair costs without the sales tax.
Let x be the price of the chair before tax. Since they paid 9% sales tax, the amount they paid for tax is 0.09 times x.
Therefore, the total amount they paid, including tax, is x + 0.09x = 1.09x.
From the given information, we know that they paid $180.98 for the chair and tax. So, we can set up the equation as 1.09x = 180.98. By solving this equation, we can find the value of x, which will tell us the price of the chair before tax.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 1.09, we get x = 166.52.
Therefore, the original price of the chair without tax is $166.52. Since the Clarks paid $162.98 for the chair, they did not pay the correct amount. They paid less than the original price of the chair.