Ella and Margaret were at a carnival. They each got a ticket for the Ferris wheel. Ella got a snow cone, and Margaret got a cotton candy. Ella had a certificate for $6 off the cost. Margaret paid the rest, which came to $12.75. Each Ferris wheel ticket was $5, and a snow cone was $3.50. What was the cost for cotton candy?
The tickets for the Ferris wheel were $5 each, so for both Ella and Margaret, the total cost for their tickets was 2 * $5 = $<<2*5=10>>10.
Ella's snow cone cost $3.50 and she had a $6 certificate to use towards it, so her actual cost came down to $3.50 - $6 = $<<3.5-6=-2.5>>-2.5.
The total cost for everything came down to a negative cost of $-2.5 (Ella's negative amount) + ($12.75 paid by Margaret $) = $-2.5 + $12.75 = $<<-2.5+12.75=10.25>>10.25 as the overall cost.
That leaves a balance of $10.25 - $10 (the cost for the Ferris wheel for both Ella and Margaret) = $0.25 for the cost of the cotton candy. Answer: \boxed{0.25}.
Let's break down the information given step by step:
1. Ella had a certificate for $6 off the cost.
2. Margaret paid the rest, which came to $12.75.
3. Each Ferris wheel ticket was $5.
4. Ella got a snow cone for $3.50.
5. We need to find the cost of the cotton candy.
First, let's calculate the total cost of Ella's ticket and snow cone:
The cost of Ella's ticket = $5 (Ferris wheel ticket)
The cost of Ella's snow cone = $3.50
So, the total cost for Ella's ticket and snow cone = $5 + $3.50 = $8.50
Since Ella had a certificate for $6 off, Margaret paid the remaining amount of $12.75.
Therefore, the cost of the cotton candy = Total cost paid by Margaret - Total cost for Ella's ticket and snow cone
= $12.75 - $8.50
= $4.25
So, the cost of the cotton candy was $4.25.
To find the cost of the cotton candy, we first need to determine the original cost of the Ferris wheel ticket for Ella.
We know that each ticket for the Ferris wheel costs $5. Since Ella received a $6 discount on her ticket, this means her ticket originally cost $5 + $6 = $11.
We also know that Ella purchased a snow cone, which cost $3.50.
Next, we need to figure out the total amount that Margaret paid, which includes the cost of her ticket and the cost of Ella's snow cone.
Margaret paid the rest, which was $12.75. This means she paid for her ticket and Ella's snow cone together.
The total cost of Margaret's ticket plus Ella's snow cone is $12.75. Since Ella's ticket cost $11, we subtract that from the total payment to determine the cost of Margaret's cotton candy.
$12.75 - $11 = $1.75.
Therefore, the cost of the cotton candy was $1.75.