Question

You are helping your older sibling look for an apartment. There are 2 final choices. Apartment A is $1200 per month and requires a security deposit of $1000. Apartment B is $1175 per month and requires a security deposit of $1500. How many months will it be before the costs are the same?

Answer 1

20 months.

Explanation:

Let the number of months be represented as x

Apartment A is $1200 per month and requires a security deposit of $1000.

= $1200 × x + $1000

1200x + 1000

Apartment B is $1175 per month and requires a security deposit of $1500.

= $1175 × x +$1500

1175x + 1500

Apartment A = Apartment B

1200x + 1000 = 1175x + 1500

Collect like terms

1200x - 1175x = 1500 - 1000

= 25x = 500

x = 500/25

x = 20

Therefore, the costs for both apartment A and B will be the same after 20 months.