Final answer:
To find out how much money Alex had before buying the music, add the cost of the music ($35) to the amount left ($20), which equals $55.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how much money Alex had before buying the music, you need to set up an equation that accounts for the cost of the music and the amount he has left. The equation will be initial amount = cost of music + amount left. Given that he spent $35 on music and has $20 left, the equation will be:
initial amount = $35 + $20
Now, solve for the initial amount:
initial amount = $35 + $20 = $55
So, Alex had $55 before he purchased the music.