price for each item

Question

Joseph bought a jacket and a tactical flashlight if the total before tax was 45.97 and the difference was 24.01, find the price of each item?

Answer 1

Let's rephrase the question and assign variables to the values we're looking for: price of jacket (j) and flashlight (f)

Joseph bought a jacket (j) and a flashlight (f) for a total of $45.97. The difference between the prices of the jacket (j) and flashlight (f) is $24.01. Find f and j.

Total means to add the 2 values. Difference means subtract the two values.

Now turn it into an equation:

j + f = $45.97

j - f = $24.01

There are 3 ways to solve a system of equations: graph it and find where lines interest, substitution method, or elimination method. Let's use elimination method

j + f = $45.97

j - f = $24.01___

2j = $69.98

2j / 2 = $69.98 / 2

j = $34.99

Now plug j into the 1st equation and solve for f

$34.99 + f = $45.97

$34.99 - $34.99 + f = $45.97 - $34.99

f = $10.98

Now let's plug in f and j into both equations to check our answers

$34.99 + $10.98 = $45.97

$34.99 - $10.98 = $24.01

Yay!

In conclusion, the jacket is $34.99 and the tactical flashlight is $10.98