Question

Lauren wants to buy 3 shirts at $15.00 each. At home, she calculates the total cost as $46.20, using the sales tax rate of 8%. At the store, the cashier tells Lauren the total cost is $48.60. Who is wrong and what mistake did he or she make?

help!! please give explanation

Answer 1

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Answer:

Lauren is wrong. She calculated tax on one shirt only.

Explanation:

The cashier correctly determined the amount due to be ...

(3 × $15.00) × 1.08 = $48.60

Lauren correctly determined that the tax on one shirt is $15.00 × 0.08 = $1.20, but seemingly failed to realize that the tax on 3 shirts would be 3 times that amount. Lauren made a mistake in computing the tax due.