Questions: The total (after-tax) cost of a laptop computer is 1630.28. The local sales tax rate is 84%. What is the retail (pre-tax) price?
The retail (pre-tax) price of the computer is . (Simplify your answer. Round to the nearest cent as needed.)
Transcript text: The total (after-tax) cost of a laptop computer is $\$ 1630.28$. The local sales tax rate is $84 \%$. What is the retail (pre-tax) price?
The retail (pre-tax) price of the computer is $\$$ $\square$
(Simplify your answer. Round to the nearest cent as needed.)
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Convert the sales tax rate from a percentage to a decimal
To convert the sales tax rate to a decimal, divide the rate by 100. Thus, \(r =
rac{84}{100} = 0.84\).
Step 2: Add 1 to the decimal sales tax rate
Adding 1 to the decimal sales tax rate to account for the original price, we get \(1 + 0.84 = 1.840\).
Step 3: Divide the total (after-tax) cost by the sum from Step 2
Using the formula \(R = \frac{T}{1 + \frac{r}{100}}\), we substitute \(T = 1630.28\) and \(r = 84\) to get \(R = \frac{1630.28}{1.840} = 886.022\).
Step 4: Round the result to the nearest cent
Rounding the result to 2 decimal places, we get \(R = 886.02\).
Final Answer:
The retail (pre-tax) price of the item is $886.02.