Questions: Sharon worked on a straight 12% commission. Her friend worked on a salary of 650 plus a 5% commission. In a particular month, they both sold 21,300 worth of merchandise. How much did her friend earn for the same month? Follow the problem-solving process and round your answer to the nearest cent, if necessary.

Solution Steps

To determine how much Sharon's friend earned for the month, we need to calculate both the base salary and the commission from the sales. The total earnings will be the sum of these two amounts.

1. Calculate the commission earned by Sharon's friend: \( 5\% \) of \$21,300.
2. Add the base salary of \$650 to the commission to get the total earnings.

To find the commission earned by Sharon's friend, we use the formula for commission:

\[ \text{Commission} = \text{Commission Rate} \times \text{Sales Amount} \]

Substituting the given values:

\[ \text{Commission} = 0.05 \times 21300 = 1065.0 \]

Next, we calculate the total earnings by adding the base salary to the commission earned:

\[ \text{Total Earnings} = \text{Base Salary} + \text{Commission Earned} \]

Substituting the values:

\[ \text{Total Earnings} = 650 + 1065.0 = 1715.0 \]

Final Answer