Wendy and Carol each bought the same laptop at the same price. In addition, Wendy bought a flash drive and Carlo bought an infrared mouse. The flash drive cost $60. Find the cost of the infrared mouse if Carol spent $1810 and Wendy spent $1840.
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Let's denote the cost of the laptop as "x", and the cost of the infrared mouse as "y".
We know that Wendy spent $1840, which includes the cost of the laptop and the flash drive. So the equation for Wendy's total spending is:
x + $60 = $1840
Similarly, Carol spent $1810, which includes the cost of the laptop and the infrared mouse. So the equation for Carol's total spending is:
x + y = $1810
To find the cost of the infrared mouse (y), we need to solve these two equations simultaneously. Here's how we can do it:
Equation 1: x + $60 = $1840
Subtract $60 from both sides:
x = $1840 - $60
x = $1780
Now we can substitute the value of x into Equation 2:
Equation 2: $1780 + y = $1810
Subtract $1780 from both sides:
y = $1810 - $1780
y = $30
Therefore, the cost of the infrared mouse is $30.
To find the cost of the infrared mouse, we need to determine the cost of the laptop first.
Let's assume the cost of the laptop is 'x'.
Since Wendy spent $1840 and bought a flash drive, the total cost of Wendy's purchase can be expressed as:
Total cost = Cost of laptop + Cost of flash drive
$1840 = x + $60
Similarly, since Carol spent $1810 and bought an infrared mouse, the total cost of Carol's purchase can be expressed as:
Total cost = Cost of laptop + Cost of infrared mouse
$1810 = x + Cost of infrared mouse
We now have two equations:
1) x + $60 = $1840
2) x + Cost of infrared mouse = $1810
From equation 1, we can find the value of x:
x = $1840 - $60
x = $1780
Now, substitute the value of x in equation 2 to find the cost of the infrared mouse:
$1780 + Cost of infrared mouse = $1810
Rearranging the equation, we find:
Cost of infrared mouse = $1810 - $1780
Cost of infrared mouse = $30
Therefore, the cost of the infrared mouse is $30.