bridget purchased 3 pairs of shoes online. the total bill of $126.81 included a $7.50 shipping charge and 6%…

Explanation:

Step1: Subtract shipping charge from total bill

Let the cost before tax and shipping be $x$. The total bill is $$126.81$ and shipping is $$7.50$. So $x + 7.50$ is the cost before tax. Let the cost of the shoes before shipping and tax be $y$. Then $x=y + 7.50$. We first find the cost before tax by subtracting shipping from the total bill: $126.81−7.50 = 119.31$.

Step2: Find cost before tax

Let the cost of the shoes before tax be $y$. We know that the cost after tax is $y$ plus $6%$ of $y$, or $y+0.06y = 1.06y$. Since $1.06y=119.31$, we can find $y$ by dividing: $y=\frac{119.31}{1.06}=112.56$.

Step3: Calculate cost per pair

Bridget bought 3 pairs of shoes. If the total cost of the shoes before shipping and tax is $112.56$, then the cost per pair is $\frac{112.56}{3}=37.52$.

Answer:

a. $$37.52$