Question

Alice and Betty each want to buy the same kind of ruler. But Alice is 22 cents short and Betty is 3 cents short. When they combine their money they still do not have enough money. What is the most the ruler could cost?

Answer 1

The rule could cost 24 cents at most.

Explanation:

Let x cents be the price of the ruler.

Alice is 22 cents short, so Alice has x - 22 cents.

Betty is 3 cents short, so Betty has x - 3 cents.

When they combine their money they have

x - 22 + x - 3 = 2x - 25 cents.

This amount is still not enough, so

`2x-25<x`

Solve this inequality:

`2x-x<25\\ \\x<25`

The rule could cost 24 cents at most.