Answer:
5 x (3 + y) = 20
Explanation:
The total amount collected is 20, so it goes on the right side of the = sign. There was a total of 5 students and each student had to pay an attendance fee of $3, so you need to multiply 5 by 3 because each student had to pay the fee. The students also need to pay a fee for supplies, but we do not know what that amount is, so we put a variable in its place. We need to put the total amount of money that each student pays together, so we put it in parentheses. We put the 5 outside of the parentheses, which are on the left side of the = sign. When you solve this equation, you would find that the supply cost would have to be $1 each.