tracy goes on a 3 day and night school band trip. there is no cost for travel and each band member only pays…

tracy goes on a 3 day and night school band trip. there is no cost for travel and each band member only pays half the cost of the hotel room. however, each person is responsible for the cost of their own meals. his portion of the hotel bill is $49 per night and tracy leaves a 10% tip for the maid service. before tax, tracy spends $32 per day on eating out plus 15% of this amount in tips. if tracy spends a total of $280.74 on the band trip, what percent tax was tracy charged on his food?\na 6%\nb 7%\nc 8%\nd 9%\nplease select the best answer from the choices provided

tracy goes on a 3 day and night school band trip. there is no cost for travel and each band member only pays half the cost of the hotel room. however, each person is responsible for the cost of their own meals. his portion of the hotel bill is $49 per night and tracy leaves a 10% tip for the maid service. before tax, tracy spends $32 per day on eating out plus 15% of this amount in tips. if tracy spends a total of $280.74 on the band trip, what percent tax was tracy charged on his food?\na 6%\nb 7%\nc 8%\nd 9%\nplease select the best answer from the choices provided

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate hotel - related costs

The hotel cost per night is $49, and the trip is 3 nights. So the base hotel cost is $49×3 = $147. The tip for the maid service is 10% of the hotel cost, so the tip amount is $147×0.1=$14.7. The total hotel - related cost is $147 + 14.7=$161.7.

Step2: Calculate meal - related costs before tax

Tracy spends $32 per day on eating out for 3 days, so the base meal cost is $32×3 = $96. The tip for meals is 15% of the base meal cost, so the tip amount is $96×0.15 = $14.4. The total meal cost before tax and including tip is $96+14.4 = $110.4.

Step3: Let the tax rate be $x$.

The total cost of the trip is the sum of the hotel - related cost and the meal cost (including tip and tax). We know the total cost of the trip is $280.74. So we can set up the equation: $161.7+110.4(1 + x)=280.74$. First, simplify the left - hand side: $161.7+110.4 + 110.4x=280.74$. Combine like terms: $272.1+110.4x=280.74$. Then subtract 272.1 from both sides: $110.4x=280.74 - 272.1=8.64$. Solve for $x$: $x=\frac{8.64}{110.4}\approx0.08 = 8%$.

Answer:

C. 8%