Question

A supermarket sells 3 cans of ground coffee for $18.75. The cost of coffee y varies directly with the number of cans x. How much does 5 cans of coffee cost?

A) $31.25
B) $31.50
C) $32.50
D) $33.75

Answer 1

To find the cost of 5 cans of coffee when the cost varies directly with the number of cans, first determine the price per can from the given price for 3 cans and then multiply by 5. The cost for 5 cans is $31.25.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the cost of 5 cans of coffee when 3 cans of ground coffee cost $18.75, we must first calculate the price per can.

This is a direct variation problem where the cost y varies directly with the number of cans x. The proportion for the cost per can is 18.75 USD divided by 3 cans, which equals $6.25 per can. To find the cost for 5 cans, we then multiply the price per can by the number of cans we are interested in, which is 5. The calculation is as follows: 5 cans x $6.25 per can equals $31.25. Therefore, the cost of 5 cans of coffee is $31.25, which corresponds to option A) $31.25.