Question

The cost of groceries rose by a total of 12% from January to July. The Smith family spent $400 on groceries in January. If the month-to-month increase was linear, how many dollars did the Smith family spend on groceries in March?

Answer 1

The Smith family spent $416 on groceries in March.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out how much the Smith family spent on groceries in March, we need to calculate the monthly increase in grocery costs. From January to July, the cost of groceries rose by a total of 12%. Let's assume the monthly increase in grocery costs is linear.

First, we can calculate the monthly increase by dividing the total increase of 12% by the number of months in between, which is 6. This gives us an increase of 2% per month.

To find out how much the Smith family spent on groceries in March, we can calculate the increase from January to March. We can multiply the initial cost of $400 by the increase of 2% for each month (2% x 2 = 4%). Then, we add this increase to the initial cost.

So, the Smith family spent $416 on groceries in March.