Question

Write high-level and detailed psuedocode for a program that calculates the total of a retail sale. The program should ask the user for \(\bullet\)The retail price of the item being purchased \(\bullet\)The sales tax rate Once these items have been entered, the program should calculate and display \(\bullet\)The sales tax for the purchase \(\bullet\)The total of the sale

Short answer

Answer: The main steps to create a program that calculates the total of a retail sale are: 1. Prompt the user for the retail price of the item. 2. Prompt the user for the sales tax rate. 3. Calculate the sales tax for the purchase. 4. Calculate the total of the sale. 5. Display the sales tax and the total of the sale.

Step-by-step solution

Prompt the user for the retail price of the item

To do this, we will need to display a message to the user asking them to enter the retail price of the item being purchased. Then, we will store the user input into a variable called `retail_price`.

Prompt the user for the sales tax rate

Similar to step 1, we will display a message to the user asking them to enter the sales tax rate. We will store the user input into a variable called `sales_tax_rate`.

Calculate the sales tax for the purchase

To calculate the sales tax, we will multiply the `retail_price` by the `sales_tax_rate`. Make sure to divide the `sales_tax_rate` by 100 to convert it into a decimal before performing the calculation. Store the result in a variable called `sales_tax`.

Calculate the total of the sale

To calculate the total of the sale, we will add the `sales_tax` to the `retail_price`. Store the result in a variable called `total_sale`.

Display the sales tax and the total of the sale

Finally, we will display the `sales_tax` and the `total_sale` to the user. Make sure to format the output in a clear and easy-to-understand way for the user. The pseudocode for the program is as follows: ``` START PRINT "Enter the retail price of the item:" READ retail_price PRINT "Enter the sales tax rate:" READ sales_tax_rate sales_tax = (retail_price * (sales_tax_rate / 100)) total_sale = retail_price + sales_tax PRINT "The sales tax for the purchase is:", sales_tax PRINT "The total of the sale is:", total_sale END ```

Key concepts

Retail Price

The retail price refers to the cost at which a product is sold to consumers. In any retail environment, this is the tagged price you see on an item, and it represents the amount the buyer needs to pay, excluding any additional charges like sales tax.

Understanding the retail price is crucial in any transaction because it informs the consumer about the base cost of the item before other factors like taxation are applied. When writing a program involving shopping transactions, capturing this value accurately is the first step.

In the context of our pseudocode, obtaining the retail price is essential as it forms the foundation for subsequent calculations. By prompting the user to input this value, we ensure the program processes the base price correctly before moving on to calculate taxes.

Sales Tax Rate

The sales tax rate is a percentage that is added to the retail price of an item, representing the tax amount imposed by a governing body on the transaction. This rate can vary depending on local regulations and the type of goods or services provided.

For many programming tasks involving financial calculations, understanding the sales tax rate is vital because it directly affects how much the customer will end up paying. By converting the percentage rate into a decimal in the program, we can accurately calculate the tax by multiplying it with the retail price.

In our pseudocode, the sales tax rate is collected as input from the user. It’s important to ensure that the data entered is accurate so the program can correctly perform the multiplication needed to calculate the sales tax.

Sales Tax Calculation

Calculating sales tax involves multiplying the retail price by the sales tax rate, which should first be converted from a percentage to a decimal. For example, if the sales tax rate is 7%, it is divided by 100 to become 0.07 before multiplying with the retail price.

This calculation provides the exact amount of money that should be added to the retail price to comply with tax obligations at the point of sale. The pseudocode demonstrates this by using a simple formula:

• Convert the sales tax rate to a decimal.
• Multiply the retail price by the decimal value of the tax rate.
• Store the result as the sales tax.

With this, the program ensures the consumer understands how much of their money goes towards taxes.

Programming Basics

When creating a program to compute transactions, understanding programming basics is fundamental. Programming involves giving a computer a list of instructions to complete a task—in this case, calculations related to sales.

Key programming constructs used here include:

• Variables: Used to store data values like `retail_price`, `sales_tax_rate`, `sales_tax`, and `total_sale`.
• Input/Output: Using prompts and displays to gather and show information.
• Arithmetic operations: Performing calculations such as multiplication and addition.

The pseudocode provided in the exercise is an example of combining these concepts to solve a problem, laying out the steps in plain language before translating them into a programming language. This is essential for beginners learning how to structure their code logically.