to rent a building for a school dance, ava paid $120 plus $2.50 for each student who attended. if she paid a total of $325. how many students attended the dance?
Let's assume the number of students who attended the dance is x.
The cost for each student who attended the dance is $2.50.
So the total cost for the students who attended the dance is 2.5x.
The total cost Ava paid is $325.
Thus, the total cost for the students who attended the dance is 2.5x, and Ava paid $120 plus that cost, which is $325.
Therefore, 120 + 2.5x = 325.
By subtracting 120 from both sides of the equation we get 2.5x = 325 - 120 = 205.
Finally, by dividing both sides of the equation by 2.5, we find x = 205 / 2.5 = 82.
So, 82 students attended the dance. Answer: \boxed{82}.