Expressing Answers to Number Stories

Question

Tom is on vacation in new york and wants to collect magnets. Times square magnets $2 each in a set of 4. Statue of Liberty magnets $3 each in a set of 5. If Tom buys 12 sets of each type of magnet, how much will he pay?

Answer 1

The first thing we want to do to solve this problem is clearly write out what each of the numbers means. For Times Square magnets, we have that the price of each magnet is 2 dollars / magnet, there are 4 magnets / set, and Tom buys 12 sets. For Statue of Liberty magnets, the price is 3 dollars / magnet, there are 5 magnets / set, and Tom buys 12 sets.

 

We can make a table of these values: 

 

Magnets          Price ($$/magnets)        Set Size (magnets/set)         Quantity (sets)

T.S.                2                                  4                                        12

S. of L.           3                                  5                                        12

 

Now, we can use the formula 

 

Total Cost = Number of Magnets Bought * Price = (Quantity * Set Size) * Price

 

So we see that

 

Cost of T.S. magnets = Quantity * Set Size * Price

                               = 12 sets * 4 magnets * 2 dollars = $96

                                                       set          magnet

 

Cost of S. of L. magnets = Quantity * Set Size * Price
                                   = 12 sets * 5 magnets * 3 dollars = $180
                                                           set          magnet

 

So the total amount spent was $96 + $180 = $276.