Final answer:
Margo needs to buy 60 tiles for the costs at both stores to be the same, which she can calculate by setting up an equation to equalize the total costs from both stores and solving for the number of tiles.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how many tiles Margo must buy for the cost to be the same at both stores, we need to set up an equation where the total costs from both stores are equal. Let's denote the number of tiles Margo buys as n.
At the first store, each tile costs $0.99, and the tile saw rental is $24. So, the total cost would be Cost1 = 0.99n + 24.
At the second store, each tile costs $1.39, but the tile saw is free. So, the total cost would be Cost2 = 1.39n.
We want to find the value of n at which Cost1 equals Cost2:
0.99n + 24 = 1.39n
To solve for n, we move the 'n' terms to one side and constant to the other:
24 = 1.39n - 0.99n
24 = 0.4n
Now divide both sides by 0.4:
n = 24 / 0.4
n = 60
Margo needs to buy 60 tiles for the costs at both stores to be equal.