Final answer:
The students sold approximately 161 cold sandwiches, 322 hot dogs, and 81 hamburgers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let's assume the number of cold sandwiches sold as x, hot dogs sold as 2x (twice as many as cold sandwiches), and hamburgers sold as y.
From the given information, we can form the following equations:
$2.5x + $1.5(2x) + $2y = $1060.50 (equation 1)
x + 2x + y = 562 (equation 2)
We can simplify equation 1 by multiplying each term by 2:
5x + 3x + 4y = 2121 (equation 3)
Now, we have a system of three equations with three variables (x, 2x, and y).
To solve this system using row reduction, we can write the augmented matrix as:
[ 5 3 4 | 2121 ]
[ 1 2 1 | 562 ]
Performing row reduction by subtracting the first row from 5 times the second row:
[ 0 7 -1 | 2911 ]
[ 1 2 1 | 562 ]
Then, divide the second row by 7:
[ 0 1 -1/7 | 415.857 ]
[ 1 2 1 | 562 ]
Finally, perform row reduction again by subtracting the second row from twice the first row:
[ 0 0 9/7 | 2301.714 ]
[ 1 2 1 | 562 ]
So, we have found that x = 161.143, 2x = 322.286, and y = 80.571. Since we cannot have a fraction of an item, we need to round each value to the nearest whole number. Therefore, the students sold approximately 161 cold sandwiches, 322 hot dogs, and 81 hamburgers.