Question

Some friends went out for a meal. The restaurant added a 10% service charge to the cost of the meal. The total bill was £126.50 including the service charge. What was the cost of the meal? Give your answer in pounds (£). Receipt Cost of the meal: £ Service charge: +10% Total: £126.50​

Answer 1

To find the cost of the meal before the service charge, divide the total bill of £126.50 by 1.1. The original cost before the service charge was £115.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the original cost of the meal before the 10% service charge was added, we need to work backward from the total bill that includes the service charge. The total bill is £126.50, which is 110% of the original cost of the meal. Thus, to find 100% of the original cost of the meal, we divide the total bill by 1.1 (110% expressed as a decimal).

Step-by-step:

1. Express the total as 110% of the original cost: 110% = £126.50.
2. Convert 110% to a decimal for calculations: 110% = 1.1.
3. Divide the total bill by 1.1 to find the original cost: £126.50 / 1.1 = £115.

The original cost of the meal before the service charge was added was £115.

Answer 2

Let's start by setting up an equation to represent the problem. Let x be the cost of the meal:

x + 0.1x = 126.50

Simplifying the left side of the equation:

1.1x = 126.50

Dividing both sides by 1.1:

x = 115

Therefore, the cost of the meal was £115.