To determine the original price \( p \) of the shirt, we know that the current sale price of $7.98 is half of the original price. Therefore, we can express the relationship with the following equation:
\[ \frac{p}{2} = 7.98 \]
To solve for \( p \), we can multiply both sides of the equation by 2:
\[ p = 2 \times 7.98 \]
Now, we can calculate the value:
\[ p = 15.96 \]
Thus, the original price of the shirt is \( p = 15.96 \) dollars.
So the completed equation and answer are:
blank: \( \frac{p}{2} = 7.98 \)
p = 15.96 dollars.