Final answer:
To find the final cost of the meal, calculate the tax and tip. The tax is 6.5% of the original bill, and the tip is 18% of the original bill. Add the original bill, tax amount, and tip amount to find the final cost of the meal.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the final cost of the meal, we need to calculate both the tip and the tax. Let's start with the tax. The tax is 6.5% of the original bill, which is $137.61. To find the tax amount, we convert the percentage to a decimal by dividing it by 100 and then multiply by the bill amount:
Tax amount = 6.5% * $137.61 = $8.94
Next, let's calculate the tip. The tip is 18% of the original bill, which is also $137.61. Using the same method as before:
Tip amount = 18% * $137.61 = $24.77
Now, we can find the final cost by adding the original bill, tax amount, and tip amount:
Final cost = $137.61 + $8.94 + $24.77 = $171.32