Question

Caleb goes out to lunch. The bill, before tax and tip, was $15. A sales tax of 9% was added on. Caleb tipped 14% on the amount after the sales tax was added. What was the total cost of the meal, plus tax and tip? Round to the nearest cent.

Answer 1

To find the total cost of Caleb's meal, including tax and tip, we can follow these steps:

1. **Calculate the sales tax:**
The sales tax is calculated on the original bill amount of $15 at a rate of 9%.
\[
\text{Sales Tax} = 15 \times 0.09 = 1.35
\]

2. **Calculate the total amount after adding sales tax:**
\[
\text{Total after Tax} = \text{Original Bill} + \text{Sales Tax} = 15 + 1.35 = 16.35
\]

3. **Calculate the tip based on the total after tax:**
The tip is calculated as 14% of the total after tax.
\[
\text{Tip} = 16.35 \times 0.14 = 2.289
\]

4. **Round the tip to the nearest cent:**
Rounding 2.289 to the nearest cent gives:
\[
\text{Tip} \approx 2.29
\]

5. **Calculate the total cost of the meal, including tax and tip:**
\[
\text{Total Cost} = \text{Total after Tax} + \text{Tip} = 16.35 + 2.29 = 18.64
\]

Thus, the total cost of the meal, including tax and tip, is:
\[
\boxed{18.64}
\]