Algebra for High School Students

Question

In June an ice cream parlor received $773.75 for selling 280 ice cream cones. Small cones cost $2.25 and large cones cost $3.50. Determine the number of large cones the ice cream parlor sold.

Answer 1

Let L = # large cones and S = # small cones.

L+S = 280

3.50L + 2.25S = 773.75

The problem is simple to set up (above) but a nuisance to solve because of the numbers.

Probably substitution is as easy as anything: L = 280-S

Be careful of the decimal points when you do your multiplication to get a linear equation in S.