Rachel was telling Jack about her romantic date with Dave. Jack is a man that is more concerned with the cost of the frolic than the details of their amorous evening. Jack asked Rachel how much the tab was for food only (tax included). Rachel was too focused on Dave to remember the amount for the actual dinners, but she did remember tipping the waiter 16% and that the final bill, tip included, was $159.50. Jack was quite amazed that Rachel would remember so much, but not recall the cost of the dinner before the tip. Of course, Jack knows his math and can easily figure it out. Can you? What is the cost of the dinner before the tip? ($137.50, $140.25, or $142.25)
ANSWER
$137.50
EXPLANATION
This problem is straightforward!
Cost of Dinner + 0.16 x Cost of Dinner = Total
Combining terms…
1.16 x Cost of Dinner = Total
Cost of Dinner = Total / 1.16
$159.50 / 1.16 = $137.50