James buys a 3 books from the bookstore for $39.99. He has a coupon for 25% off the original price. He is charged 8.5% sales tax. What is the total cost of his purchase?

Step-by-step explanation:

The cost of the three books that James bought from the bookstore.

He has a coupon for 25% off the original price. This means that the amount by which the original price was reduced would be

25/100 * 39.99 = 0.25 * 39.99 = $9.8325

The cost of the books would be

39.99 - 9.8325 = $30.1575

He is charged 8.5% sales tax. This means that the amount paid for tax would be

8.5/100 * 30.1575 = 0.085 * 30.1575 = $2.56

the total cost of his purchase would be

2.56 + 30.1575 = $32.7175