A stereo salesman whose base pay plus commissions amounted to \( \$ 37,625 \) last year earned a commission of \( 16.5 \% \) on each stereo sold. If each stereo he sold cost \( \$ 1500 \) and if his base pay was \( \$ 33,170 \), how many stereos did the salesman sell last year?

Let's denote the number of stereos sold as \( x \). Given: - Total earnings = Base pay + Commission - Commission rate = 16.5% - Cost of each stereo = $1500 - Base pay = $33,170 We can set up the equation based on the given information: \[ 37,625 = 33,170 + 0.165 \times 1500 \times x \] Now, we can solve for \( x \) to find the number of stereos sold. Solve the equation by following steps: - step0: Solve for \(x\): \(37625=33170+0.165\times 1500x\) - step1: Multiply the terms: \(37625=33170+247.5x\) - step2: Swap the sides: \(33170+247.5x=37625\) - step3: Move the constant to the right side: \(247.5x=37625-33170\) - step4: Subtract the numbers: \(247.5x=4455\) - step5: Divide both sides: \(\frac{247.5x}{247.5}=\frac{4455}{247.5}\) - step6: Divide the numbers: \(x=18\) The salesman sold 18 stereos last year.