the cost of apen is 3 times the cost of a pencil. the cost of 4 pencils and 3 pens is $9.75. what is the cost of a pencil?
can't find a formula for this problem.
help is appreciated.
cost of pencil = p
cost of pen = 3p
4p + 3(3p) = 9.75
thank you damon
To solve this problem, we can set up a system of equations using the given information.
Let's assume the cost of a pencil is 'x'. Then the cost of a pen would be 3 times the cost of a pencil, or 3x.
Now, let's use this information to form our first equation. The cost of 4 pencils would be 4x, and the cost of 3 pens would be 3 * 3x = 9x. The sum of these two costs is given as $9.75, so our first equation is:
4x + 9x = 9.75
Combining like terms, we get:
13x = 9.75
Now we can solve for x:
Divide both sides of the equation by 13 to isolate x:
x = 9.75 / 13
Calculating this, we get:
x = 0.75
So, the cost of a pencil is $0.75.
To summarize, the cost of a pencil in this problem is $0.75.