Answer:
The price of the almonds is $1 per pound
The price of the jelly beans is $4 per pound
Explanation:
Indeterminate Equations
It's an equation where each variable cannot be uniquely determined since more data is needed. If more than one variable is present in a single equation, then it may have infinitely many solutions. But if we set additional conditions, we may reach determined solutions.
We are told that Jim paid $17 for almonds and jelly beans, but we are not told the total quantity of pounds or any other useful data to find the price of the pound of almonds and jelly beans separately. The equation to solve is
5x+3y=17
Where x is the number of pounds of almonds and y is the number of pounds of jelly beans Jim purchased. With no more information, we should conclude there are infinitely many solutions, for example, if x=2.8, y=1, the equation holds. Another solution could be x=2.08, y=2.2.
If we set the specific restriction that the price of each product must be an integer number, then we'll find only one solution by iterating.
If x=1, then y=4
If x=2, y=7/3
If x=3, y=2/3
For x>3, then y would be negative. So our only solution, given the specified restriction if
The price of the almonds is $1 per pound
The price of the jelly beans is $4 per pound