Frances left a 21% tip on a meal, including the tip, its cost was $54.45, what was the cost of the meal before tip.

x+0.21x=54.45 or 1.21x=54.45

x=54.45/1.21=45.
Check 45+(45*0.21)=45+9.45=54.45 ok.

$45.00

To find the cost of the meal before tip, we need to subtract the tip amount from the total cost.

Let's assume the cost of the meal before the tip is "x" dollars.

We know that Frances left a 21% tip on the meal, which means the tip amount is 21% of the cost of the meal. Mathematically, this can be expressed as 0.21x.

The total cost of the meal, including the tip, is given as $54.45. So, we can set up the equation:

x + 0.21x = $54.45

Simplifying the equation, we combine like terms:

1.21x = $54.45

To solve for x, we divide both sides of the equation by 1.21:

x = $54.45 / 1.21

Using a calculator, we can find the value of x as:

x ≈ $45.00

Therefore, the cost of the meal before the tip was approximately $45.00.