At the school store Juanita bought two books and a backpack for a total of $26 before tax. Each book cost less than $8. Find each price.
More information is required. The books could have cost any amount from $7.99 to 0, and there would aways be a backpack cost that would make the total $26.
To solve this problem, let's assign variables to each unknown:
Let's call the cost of the first book "x" (in dollars).
Let's call the cost of the second book "y" (in dollars).
Now we can use the given information to create two equations:
Equation 1: x + y + backpack = 26
Equation 2: x < 8 and y < 8
Since we know that each book costs less than $8, we can set the maximum limit for both "x" and "y" to be $8.
To find the specific prices for the books, we can use a trial and error method.
Let's try a few values that satisfy these conditions:
If we set x = $7 and y = $7, then the equation becomes:
7 + 7 + backpack = 26
14 + backpack = 26
backpack = 26 - 14
backpack = $12
But since the backpack's price is not known, we cannot determine if this solution is correct.
Let's try another set of values:
If we set x = $6 and y = $5, then the equation becomes:
6 + 5 + backpack = 26
11 + backpack = 26
backpack = 26 - 11
backpack = $15
Again, the backpack's price is not known, so we cannot determine if this solution is correct.
At this point, we can conclude that there are multiple possible combinations of prices for the two books that satisfy the given conditions.
To find all the possible solutions, we need more information, such as the price of the backpack or any constraints on the total amount spent on books.