A sales tax of 13.00% increased the cost of a meal to $33.89. What was the cost of the meal before sales taxes? Round to the nearest cent.
Accepted Solution
A:
Let's denote the cost of the meal before the sales tax as x. When the 13.00% sales tax is added to the cost of the meal, the total cost becomes $33.89. We can set up the following equation to represent this:
$$\[x + 0.13x = 33.89\]$$
We can simplify this equation to solve for x:
$$\[1.13x = 33.89\]$$
Now, divide both sides by 1.13 to find x:
$$\[x = \frac{33.89}{1.13}\]$$
Now, let's calculate x:
$$\[x \approx 29.91\]$$
We need to round this to the nearest cent, so the cost of the meal before the sales tax is $29.91.