Question

NEED HELP ASAP!

Betsy buys three lamps and two end tables and pays $520. Her friend Tina buys two lamps
and RETURNS an end table and only pays $20. What do the lamps and end tables cost?

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

• lamp: $80
• end table: $140

Explanation:

If we let x and y represent the costs of a lamp and end table, respectively, the two purchases can be written as ...

3x +2y = 520

2x -y = 20

__

These equations can be solved many ways. If we use "elimination", we can add twice the second equation to the first to eliminate y:

(3x +2y) +2(2x -y) = (520) +2(20)

7x = 560 . . . . simplify

x = 80 . . . . . . divide by 7

y = 2x -20 = 2(80) -20 = 140

The cost of a lamp is $80; the cost of an end table is $140.