Question

Lisa goes to the mall one day and buys four shirts and three pairs of pants for $85.50. She returns the next day and buys three shirts and five pairs of pants for $115.00. What is the price of each shirt and each pair of pants?

Answer 1

Shirts cost $7.50 each and pants cost $18.50 each.

Explanation:

Let $s be the price of shirts and $p the price of pants. Therefore we have the system:

4s + 3p = 85.50

3s + 5p = 115.00

Multiply the first equation by - 3 and the second by 4:

-12s - 9p = - 256.50

12s + 20p = 460.00 Adding these 2 equations:

11p = 203.50

p = 18.50

Now find s:

4s + 3(18.50) = 85.50

4s = 30

s = 7.50.

Answer 2

Answer:the price for one shirt is $7.5

the price for one pair of pants is $18.5

Explanation:

Let x represent the price for one shirt.

Let y represent the price for one pair of pants.

Lisa goes to the mall one day and buys four shirts and three pairs of pants for $85.50. This means that

4x + 3y = 85.5 - - - - - - - - - -1

She returns the next day and buys three shirts and five pairs of pants for $115.00. This means that

3x + 5y = 115 - - - - - - - - - - - 2

Multiplying equation 1 by b3 and equation 2 by 4, it becomes

12x + 9y = 256.5

12x + 20y = 460

Subtracting, it becomes

- 11y = - 203.5

y = - 203.5/ -11 = 18.5

Substituting y = 18.5 into equation 1, it becomes

4x + 3×18.5 = 85.5

4x + 55.5 = 85.5

4x = 85.5 - 55.5 = 30

x = 30/4 = 7.5