Question

Two cheeseburgers and one small order of fries contain a total of 1320 calories. Three cheeseburgers and two small orders of fries contain a total of 2170 calories. Find the caloric

content of each item.

Answer 1

• cheeseburger: 470 calories
• fries: 380 calories

Explanation:

The given relations let you formulate two equations in the two unknown values. These can be solved by any of the usual methods.

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setup

Let x represent the caloric content of a cheeseburger, and y the caloric content of a small order of fries. The problem statement tells us ...

2x +y = 1320

3x +2y = 2170

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solution

Subtracting the second equation from twice the first gives ...

2(2x +y) -(3x +2y) = 2(1320) -(2170)

x = 470

Using the first equation, we can find y:

y = 1320 -2x = 1320 -2(470) = 380

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A cheeseburger has 470 calories; a small order of fries, 380 calories.

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Attached is a graphing calculator solution.