Question

Jack bought 4 rulers and 5 compasses for $18.92. If Jack’s brother bought two rulers and four compasses for $14.98, what is the price of each compass?

Answer 1

By setting up a system of equations and using substitution or elimination, we can solve for the price of one compass from the purchases made by Jack and his brother.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve for the price of each compass, we can set up a system of equations based on the purchases. Let r represent the price of one ruler and c represent the price of one compass. From the problem, we have two equations:

• 4r + 5c = 18.92
• 2r + 4c = 14.98

These equations can then be solved simultaneously to find the values of r and c. However, since only the price of the compass is requested, we can solve for c directly by dividing the second equation by two, resulting in:

• r + 2c = 7.49

Then subtract the new equation from the first equation:

• (4r + 5c) - (2 * (r + 2c)) = 18.92 - 2 * 7.49

The result will give us the price of one compass c. Through these calculations, we would find the price of each compass, which completes the answer to the student's question.