Final answer:
To find the price of an adult meal, we calculate the total cost paid by both groups of children and adults and solve the equation for the adult meal cost. It turns out that the adult meal costs $24.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the question 'A child's meal cost half the price of an adult meal. If 2 groups of children and 5 groups of adults paid $144 for the meal, what is the price of the adult meal?', we need to establish the relationship between the cost of a child's meal and an adult meal.
Let's denote the cost of an adult meal as 'A'. Therefore, the cost of a child's meal is 'A/2'. The total cost for two groups of children's meals will be '2 x (A/2)', which simplifies to 'A'. The total cost for five groups of adult's meals is '5 x A'. According to the problem, the sum of these costs is equal to $144:
Total cost for children's meals and adult's meals: A + 5A = 144
This simplifies to:
6A = 144
Dividing both sides of the equation by 6 gives us:
A = 144 / 6
A = $24
Therefore, the price of an adult meal is $24.