Question

Scott bought twice as many 3 cent stamps as 5 cent stamps and only half as many 5 cent stamps as 10 cent stamps. The postal clerk gave him 7 cents change from a loonie. How many stamps of each type did Scott buy?

Answer 1

Scott bought 6 5 cent stamps, 12 3 cent stamps, and 3 10 cent stamps.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's assume that Scott bought x number of 5 cent stamps. Since he bought twice as many 3 cent stamps as 5 cent stamps, he bought 2x number of 3 cent stamps. Additionally, he bought only half as many 5 cent stamps as 10 cent stamps, so he bought (1/2)x number of 10 cent stamps.

Now let's calculate the total cost of the stamps. The cost of x number of 5 cent stamps is 5x cents, the cost of 2x number of 3 cent stamps is 6x cents, and the cost of (1/2)x number of 10 cent stamps is 5x cents.

Since Scott received 7 cents change from a loonie (100 cents), we can set up the equation: 100 - (5x + 6x + 5x) = 7.

Simplifying the equation, we get 100 - 16x = 7. Solving for x, we find x = 6.

Therefore, Scott bought 6 5 cent stamps, 12 3 cent stamps, and 3 10 cent stamps.