Question

Mai bought a desktop computer and a laptop computer. Before finance charges, the laptop cost $ 150 more than the desktop. She paid for the computers using two different financing plans. For the desktop the interest rate was 7% per year, and for the laptop it was 5.5% per year. The total finance charges for one year were $227. How much did each computer cost before finance charges?Desktop:Laptop:

Answer 1

Answer: Desktop: $1750

Laptop: $1900

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the cost of the desktop

If the laptop cost $ 150 more than the desktop, it means that the cost of the laptop is

x + 150

For the desktop the interest rate was 7% per year. This means that the interest paid on the desktop is

7/100 * x = 0.07x

For the laptop the interest rate was 5.5% per year. This means that the interest paid on the laptop is

5.5/100 * (x + 150) = 0.055(x + 150)

The total finance charges for one year were $227. This means that

0.07x + 0.055(x + 150) = 227

0.07x + 0.055x + 8.25 = 227

0.07x + 0.055x = 227 - 8.25

0.125x = 218.75

x = 218.75/0.125

x = 1750

The cost of the computers before finance charges are

Desktop: $1750

Laptop: 1750 + 150 = $1900