Question

Ms. Whitney went to the store and bought 2 gifts for her nephews that cost the same amount. She also bought groceries for $23.50. If her total was $38.50, how much was each gift? Write and solve an algebraic equation to find your answer.

Answer 1

To find the cost of each gift, we can set up an algebraic equation and solve for x. Each gift costs $7.50.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the cost of each gift, let's first assume that each gift cost x dollars.

Ms. Whitney bought 2 gifts, so the total cost of the gifts is 2x dollars.

In addition to the gifts, Ms. Whitney also bought groceries for $23.50, so the total cost of her shopping trip is 2x + $23.50.

This total cost is equal to $38.50, so we can write the equation: 2x + $23.50 = $38.50.

To solve for x, we can subtract $23.50 from both sides of the equation: 2x = $38.50 - $23.50 = $15.

Finally, we divide both sides of the equation by 2 to find the cost of each gift: x = $15 / 2 = $7.50.

Therefore, each gift cost $7.50.