A businessman buys 3 pairs of Vans for $35, $60, and $65. The sales commission rate is 3%. What does the salesman earn in commission? (show your work by setting up a proportion)

Answer 1

To calculate the salesman's commission based on the total cost of the Vans purchased, we first need to find the total cost of all three pairs of shoes and then apply the commission rate to that total.

1. Calculate the total cost of the Vans purchased: \[ \text{Total cost} = 35 + 60 + 65 \] \[ \text{Total cost} = 160 \]

2. Calculate the commission earned by the salesman at a rate of 3%. The commission can be calculated as: \[ \text{Commission} = \text{Total cost} \times \text{Commission rate} \] \[ \text{Commission} = 160 \times 0.03 \] \[ \text{Commission} = 4.8 \]

So the salesman earns $4.80 in commission.

To express this in terms of a proportion, if we let \( x \) be the commission earned: \[ \frac{x}{160} = \frac{3}{100} \] Cross-multiplying gives: \[ 100x = 3 \times 160 \] \[ 100x = 480 \] \[ x = \frac{480}{100} = 4.8 \]

Thus, the salesman earns $4.80 in commission.