When Melissa went to purchase a purse from a street vendor, she negotiated a purchase price that was 5% less than the $170.00 marked price, plus 8% sales tax on the purchase price. If she has $475.00 in her checking account, how much did she pay for the purse?

Question

When Melissa went to purchase a purse from a street vendor, she negotiated a purchase price that was 5% less than the $170.00 marked price, plus 8% sales tax on the purchase price.  If she has $475.00 in her checking account, how much did she pay for the purse?

Damon · Answer

.95 * 170 = 161.50 161.50 * 1.08 = 174.42

Algebra88 · Answer

Ok, my question is where are you getting the .95?

DrBob222 · Answer

The 0.95 in Damon's answer is 1-0.05 = 0.95. It's a 5% discount (0.05 as a fraction) which is 100%-5%= 95% and as a fraction that is 0.95.

Algebra88 · Answer

Thank you very much for your assistance. I try these problems first and when I can't get the correct answer then I seek help.