Question

A small fruit basket with 6 apples and 6 oranges costs $7.50. A different fruit basket with 10 apples and 5 oranges costs $8.75. If x is the cost of one apple and y is the cost of one orange, the system of equations below can be used to determine the cost of one apple and one orange. 6x+6y=7.50 10x+5y=8.75 What is the cost of one apple?

Answer 1

$0.50

Explanation:

Let's remove common factors from the equations.

• x + y = 1.25 . . . . divide the first equation by 6
• 2x +y = 1.75 . . . divide the second equation by 5

Subtracting the first equation from the second, we find the cost of an apple:

(2x +y) -(x +y) = 1.75 -1.25

x = 0.50

The cost of one apple is $0.50.