Question

Cierra bought some shirts from Forever21 for $15 each and a pair of pants for $45. Madison bought some shirts at American Eagle for $20 each and a pair of pants for $35. If they spent the same amount of money, how many shirts did each girl purchase? Show work on a separate piece of paper.

Answer 1

In order to determine how many shirts Cierra and Madison bought, it is necessary to write the given situation in an algebraic way.

If x is the number of shirts, the cost for x shirts is 15x in Forever21, for the case of Cierra. She also bought a pair of pants by $45. Then, the total cost is:

15x + 45

For the case of Madison, 20x is the cost of the shirts, and she also boutgh a pair of pants by $35, then, the total cost is:

20x + 35

If they both spent the same money, you have:

15x + 45 = 20x + 35

solve the previous equation for x:

15x + 45 = 20x + 35 subtract 15x and 35 both sides

45 - 35 = 20x - 15x simplify like terms

10 = 5x divide by 5 both sides

10/5 = x

x = 2

Hence, each of them bought 2 shirts