Blair opens his investment account with $500. He loses $15.45 the first month, and then gains $35.68 the second month. If his net gain after 3 months is $40, how much money did he gain in the 3rd month? *
can you help me with this .
let his gain in third month be x
-15.45 + 35.68 + x = 40
x = 19.77
To determine how much money Blair gained in the third month, we need to calculate the total amount of money he gained or lost in the first two months and subtract it from the net gain of $40.
Blair's initial investment was $500. In the first month, he lost $15.45, so the remaining balance after the first month is $500 - $15.45.
Remaining balance after the first month: $500 - $15.45 = $484.55
In the second month, Blair gained $35.68, so the new balance after the second month is $484.55 + $35.68.
New balance after the second month: $484.55 + $35.68 = $520.23
To find out how much money Blair gained in the third month, we subtract the new balance after the second month from the net gain of $40.
Money gained in the third month: $40 - $520.23 = $-480.23
Therefore, Blair lost $480.23 in the third month.