Question

Tickets to a zoo cost $12 for each adult and $8 for each child. A family has $72 for the zoo trip. Use 'a' for the number of adult tickets and 'c' for the number of child tickets. How many adult tickets and child tickets can the family buy?

Answer 1

The family cannot buy any combination of adult and child tickets with $72.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the number of adult tickets and child tickets that the family can buy, we need to set up an equation based on the given information.

Let 'a' represent the number of adult tickets and 'c' represent the number of child tickets. Each adult ticket costs $12, so the total cost of adult tickets is 12a. Each child ticket costs $8, so the total cost of child tickets is 8c. According to the problem, the family has $72 to spend, so the equation is:

12a + 8c = 72

Now we need to solve the equation to find the values of 'a' and 'c'.

There are several possible solutions that satisfy the equation. Some examples include:

1. If we let a = 3 and c = 3, then 12a + 8c = 12(3) + 8(3) = 36 + 24 = 60. This is not equal to 72.
2. If we let a = 4 and c = 5, then 12a + 8c = 12(4) + 8(5) = 48 + 40 = 88. This is greater than 72.
3. If we let a = 6 and c = 3, then 12a + 8c = 12(6) + 8(3) = 72 + 24 = 96. This is greater than 72.
4. If we let a = 2 and c = 7, then 12a + 8c = 12(2) + 8(7) = 24 + 56 = 80. This is greater than 72.

Therefore, there is no combination of adult and child tickets that the family can buy with $72.