In a cupboard there are pencils, rulers and books. The number of pencils is 15 more than that of rulers. The number of books is three time that of rulers. If the number of pencils is p, which one the total number of items in the cupboard?
p = 15 + r where p = pencils and r = rulers.
b = 3r where b = books
total number of items = p + b + r =
15 + r + 3r + r =
15 + 5r.
p - 15 + 3(p-15) + p is how you express in terms of p.
p - 15 + 3p - 45 + p =
5p - 60 is the total in terms of p.
To find the total number of items in the cupboard, we need to determine the quantities of pencils, rulers, and books in terms of one of the variables given.
Let's assign a variable to the number of rulers in the cupboard. Let's say the number of rulers is represented by the variable "r".
Given that there are 15 more pencils than rulers, the number of pencils would be "r + 15".
Also, the number of books is three times the number of rulers. So, the number of books would be "3r".
Now, to find the total number of items in the cupboard, we add up the quantities of pencils, rulers, and books.
Total number of items = Number of pencils + Number of rulers + Number of books
= (r + 15) + r + (3r)
= 5r + 15
Therefore, the total number of items in the cupboard is 5r + 15, where "r" represents the number of rulers.