Final answer:
The correct answer is that the computer costs $481 and the printer costs $231. By setting the cost of the printer as 'P' and the computer as 'P + $250', and knowing their combined cost is $712, we can solve for 'P' to find the individual prices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked to find the cost of each item, a computer and a printer, given that the combined cost is $712 and the computer costs $250 more than the printer.
Let's call the cost of the printer 'P' (in dollars). Since the computer costs $250 more, we can express the cost of the computer as 'P + $250'. The total cost is the sum of the cost of the printer and the computer, which is $712.
We can write this relationship as an equation: P + (P + $250) = $712. Simplifying, we get 2P + $250 = $712. Subtracting $250 from both sides of the equation, we get 2P = $462. Dividing both sides by 2 gives us P = $231.
Now that we have the cost of the printer, we can find the cost of the computer by adding $250 to it: $231 + $250 = $481.
Therefore, the cost of the computer is $481 and the cost of the printer is $231.