Final answer:
To determine how many student and adult tickets were sold for the school play, we set up a system of equations based on the cost of tickets and the total revenue. By solving the system, we found that 90 student tickets and 270 adult tickets were sold.
Step-by-step explanation:
Solving a System of Equations
To find out how many student and adult tickets were sold for the school play, we can set up a system of linear equations. Let's define the following variables:
s = number of student tickets sold
a = number of adult tickets sold
According to the question, student tickets cost $5 and adult tickets cost $8. Also, all 360 seats were filled, and the total box office revenue was $2610.
We can write two equations based on this information:
The total number of tickets sold (students and adults) was 360, giving us the equation: s + a = 360
The total revenue was $2610, which gives us the equation: 5s + 8a = 2610
We can solve this system of equations using either substitution or elimination. Let's use the elimination method for this problem:
First, multiply the first equation by -5 to get -5s - 5a = -1800.
Next, add this new equation to the second equation to eliminate s and solve for a:
5s + 8a = 2610 + -5s - 5a = -1800 results in 3a = 810, so a = 270.
Substitute a = 270 into the first equation, s + a = 360, to find s:
s + 270 = 360, therefore s = 90.
Thus, 90 student tickets and 270 adult tickets were sold on opening night.