Question

A shopper bought a watermelon, a pack of napkins, and some paper plates. In his state, there is no tax on food. The tax rate on non-food items is 5%. The total for the three items he bought was $8.25 before tax, and he paid $0.19 in tax. How much did the watermelon cost?

Answer 1

Explanation:

The shopper bought a watermelon costing $4.45

Let x represent the cost of watermelon

y = cost of napkin + cost of paper plates

The tax rate on non-food items is 5%, hence:

5% of y = 0.19

0.05y = 0.19

y = $3.8

The total for the three items he bought was $8.25 before tax, therefore:

x + y = 8.25

x + 3.80 = 8.25

x = 4.45

The shopper bought a watermelon costing $4.45