The Kerwoods went out to eat at Chili’s. If their bill was $58.65 and they gave their server a 15% tip, how much did they pay all together?

Question

percent word problems (tax tip discount)

Answer 1

Whenever you're working with discounts, there's a few methods you can use.

METHOD A

First, you can go with the addition method. To do so, the first thing you need to find is what 15% of the total is so that you can add that from the total. Make sure to convert your percentage to decimal form by shifting the decimal place two places to the left:

Total: 58.65

15% of total: 58.65 * 0.15 = 8.7975 or 8.80. (We round to the hundredths place since we're working with money. Parts of a penny are impossible to exchange).

Total Including Tip: 58.65 + 8.80 = 67.4475 or 67.45

67.45 would be your answer.

METHOD B

The second method has to do with using percentages. This method is built on the idea that 100%+15% = 115%. Don't forget to convert to decimal form:

Total: 58.65

115% of the total: 58.65 * 1.15 = 67.45

67.45 would be your answer.

Both methods are effective, however I prefer the second one since it's faster and has less steps.