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: \[ \boxed{18.64} \]