Question

Kia purchased 3 pounds of grapes and spent $11.63 on other items. She spent a total of $20. She used the following steps to find the cost of each pound of grapes.

When Kia subtracts 11.63 from both sides, what does the difference represent?

Answer 1

The difference after subtracting $11.63 from $20 represents the amount Kia spent on grapes. This is the first step in figuring out the cost per pound of the grapes she purchased.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Kia subtracts $11.63 from both sides of the equation, the difference represents the total amount of money she spent exclusively on grapes. Since Kia spent a total of $20, subtracting the amount she spent on other items leaves her with the amount spent on just the grapes. To find the cost per pound of grapes, she will then divide this number by the quantity of grapes she purchased, which is 3 pounds.

Answer 2

3x + 11.63 = 20
3x + 11.63 - 11.63 = 20 - 11.63
3x = 8.37

by subtracting the 11.63 from both sides, this tells us how much the grapes cost....not per lb., but for the total of all the grapes.