Question

Celeste wants to have her hair cut and permed and also go to lunch. She knows she will need $86. The perm costs twice as much as her haircut and she needs $5 for lunch. How much does the perm cost?

Answer 1

Haircut costs $27, and a Perm costs $54

Explanation:

Let's her hair cut costs x dollars

Now set up the problem

2x (the perm) + x (the haircut) + 5 (lunch) = $86.00

= 2x + x + 5 = 86

First we subtract 5 from both side to add the x's

3x + 5 - 5 = 86 -5

3x = 81

divide both side by 3

x = 27

Therefore, haircut costs $27, and a Perm costs $54

By adding you can check the answer

$27 + $54 + $5 = $86

Answer 2

Let haircut be represented by the letter h. Perm = 2 times haircut so perm = 2h Haircut + perm + lunch = 86 (writing out in words can sometimes help) 2h + h + 5 = 86 (replace with letters) 3h + 5 = 86 (simplify) 3h = 81 (subtract 5 from each side) h = 27 (divide both sides by 3) A haircut costs $27, so a perm costs $54