Question

Rosa bought 1 pound of cashews and 2 pounds of peanuts for $10. At the same store, Sabrina bought 2 pounds of cashews and 1 pound of peanuts for $11. Find the cost per pound of cashews and peanuts.

Answer 1

The solutions are x=4, y=3. Cashews are $4 per pound and Peanuts are $3 per pound.

Explanation:

let x = cashews

let y = peanuts

x + 2y = 10 - rosa's purchase

2x + y = 11 - sabrina's purchase

subtract 2x to isolate 'y'

y = 11 - 2x

x + 2(11 - 2x) = 10

x + 22 - 4x = 10 (Use the distributive property.)

-3x = -12

x = 4.00

Plug this into the original equations to find "y"

2(4) + y = 11

8 + y = 11

y = 3

4 + 2y = 10

2y = 6

y = 3

the solutions are: x = 4. y = 3.