Question

Lea and Nicole each improved their yards by planting daylilies and ivy. They bought their supplies from the same store. Lea spent $72 on 3 daylilies and 7 pots of ivy. Nicole spent $126 on 12 daylilies and 1 pot of ivy. What is the cost of one daylily?

A) $4.50
B) $6.00
C) $8.00
D) $9.00

Answer 1

To find the cost of one daylily, a system of equations is set up and solved, revealing that one daylily costs $10, which does not match the provided options, indicating a discrepancy in the question.

Step-by-step explanation:

The problem described involves finding the cost of one daylily when given the total cost of combined purchases of daylilies and ivy by two individuals, Lea and Nicole, and can be solved by setting up a system of equations. Let x be the cost of one daylily and y be the cost of one pot of ivy. We can then write two equations based on the given information:

1. 3x + 7y = 72 (Lea's purchase)
2. 12x + y = 126 (Nicole's purchase)

By solving these equations for x (the cost of one daylily) and y (the cost of one pot of ivy), we can find the individual prices. We'll multiply the second equation by 7 to eliminate y and then subtract the first equation from the resulting equation:

1. 84x + 7y = 882
2. 3x + 7y = 72
3. Subtracting 1 from 2: 81x = 810
4. Dividing both sides by 81: x = 10

Therefore, the cost of one daylily is $10, which doesn't match any of the options provided in the question. It appears there may be an error with the options given. To answer such problems correctly, one must solve the system of equations, which can be done by substitution or elimination, as shown in this example.