year 8 maths

4H
Decreasing and increasing by a percentage
247
ENRICHMENT
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16
Commission
16 Many sales representatives are paid by commission. This means their wage is calculated as a
certain percentage of their sales. For example, Ben, a car salesman is paid 5% commission. In
one week Ben sold three cars for a total value of $42 000 . His wage for that week was 5% of
$42 000 = $2100 . If in the next week Ben sells no cars, he would receive no wage.
a Calculate the following amounts.
i 10% commission on sales of $850
ii 3% commission on sales of $21 000
iii 2.5% commission on sales of $11 000
iv 0.05% commission on sales of $700 000
Generally sales representatives can be paid by commission only, by an hourly rate only, or by a
combination of an hourly rate and a percentage commission. The combination is common, as it
provides workers with the security of a wage regardless of sales, but also the added incentive to
boost wages through increased sales.
Solve the following three problems involving commission.
b Stuart sells NRL records. He earns $8.50 per hour and receives 5% commission on his sales.
Stuart worked for 5 hours at the Brisbane Broncos vs Canberra Raiders match and sold 320
records at $4 each. How much did Stuart earn?
c Sam, Jack and Justine are all on different pay structures at work. Sam is paid an hourly rate of
$18 per hour. Jack is paid an hourly rate of $15 per hour and 4% commission. Justine is paid by
commission only at a rate of 35% .
Calculate their weekly wages if they each worked for 40 hours and each sold $2000 worth of
goods.
d Clara earns an hourly rate of $20 per hour and 5% commission. Demi earns an hourly rate of
$16 per hour and 10% commission. They each work a 40 -hour week. In one particular week,
Clara and Demi both sell the same value of goods and both receive the same wage. How much
did they sell and what was their wage?
e Do you know anyone who receives a commission as part of their salary? Interview someone
and understand the structure of their salary. Would you like to be paid a set salary or like the
added incentive of commission? Summarise your findings and write a brief report.
Cambridge Maths NSW
Stage 4 Year 8 Second edition
ISBN 978-1-108-46627-1 © Palmer et al. 2018
Cambridge University Press
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