Let's break down and solve the questions in the problem you provided:

Problem:

Mary buys a dress and a pair of shoes. Before adding tax:

• The dress normally sells for $62, but Mary pays $48.
• The shoes normally sell for $46, but Mary pays $34.

Questions:

(a) Before tax, how much does Mary save by buying at the sale price?
(b) What percent discount did Mary get on each item?
(c) Including a 6.5% sales tax, how much did Mary pay?

Solution:

(a) How much did Mary save by buying at the sale price?

For the dress:

• Original price = $62
• Sale price = $48
• Savings = $62 - $48 = $14

For the shoes:

• Original price = $46
• Sale price = $34
• Savings = $46 - $34 = $12

Total savings = $14 (dress) + $12 (shoes) = $26

(b) What percent discount did Mary get on each item?

To calculate the percent discount: $\text{Discount percent} = \left(\frac{\text{Savings}}{\text{Original price}}\right) \times 100$

For the dress: $\left(\frac{14}{62}\right) \times 100 = 22.58\%$ So, the discount on the dress is 22.58%.

For the shoes: $\left(\frac{12}{46}\right) \times 100 = 26.09\%$ So, the discount on the shoes is 26.09%.

(c) Including a 6.5% sales tax, how much did Mary pay?

First, we find the total cost before tax: $\text{Total before tax} = 48 \text{ (dress)} + 34 \text{ (shoes)} = 82$

Next, calculate the tax: $\text{Sales tax} = 6.5\% \times 82 = 0.065 \times 82 = 5.33$

Finally, the total amount Mary paid is: $\text{Total with tax} = 82 + 5.33 = \boxed{87.33}$

Final Answers:

• (a) Total savings: $26
• (b) Discount percentages: Dress: 22.58%, Shoes: 26.09%
• (c) Total paid after tax: $87.33

Would you like more details on any of these calculations or have any other questions?

Here are 5 related questions for further practice:

1. If the sales tax rate were 8%, how much would Mary have paid in total?
2. What would be the final price if only the shoes were taxed at 6.5%?
3. How much would Mary have saved if both items were discounted by 30%?
4. What was the original combined price of both items before the sale?
5. If the shoes were on a 50% discount, what would their sale price be?

Tip: When calculating percent discounts, always compare the discount to the original price, not the sale price!