Final answer:
To find the number of croissants bought, set up a system of equations based on the given information and solve it using substitution or elimination. In this case, solving the system gives the answer of 12 croissants.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many croissants you bought, we can set up a system of equations based on the given information. Let's say you bought x muffins and y croissants. From the information given, we know that each muffin costs $3.50 and each croissant costs $2.75. So we can set up the equations 3.50x + 2.75y = 96 to represent the total cost, and x + y = 30 to represent the total number of items. We can solve this system of equations using substitution or elimination. Let's use substitution:
From the second equation, we know that x = 30 - y. Substituting this into the first equation, we get 3.50(30 - y) + 2.75y = 96. Simplifying, we have 105 - 3.5y + 2.75y = 96. Combining like terms, we get -0.75y = -9. Solving for y, we divide both sides by -0.75 and get y = 12. So you bought 12 croissants.