Solve this real-world problem using a system of equations. The O’Donnells are having a birthday party for their son, and they plan to have a clown bring balloons to the party. Balloon Express charges $2 per balloon and $10 for delivery. Balloon Mania charges $1.50 per balloon and $20 for delivery. If the O’Donnells plan to order 30 balloons, which company should they choose, and how much will they save?

Question

Solve this real-world problem using a system of equations. The O’Donnells are having a birthday party for their son, and they plan to have a clown bring balloons to the party. Balloon Express charges $2 per balloon and $10 for delivery. Balloon Mania charges $1.50 per balloon and $20 for delivery. If the O’Donnells plan to order 30 balloons, which company should they choose, and how much will they save?

1Balloon Express; $25

2Balloon Mania; $25 

3Balloon Express; $5

4Balloon Mania; $5

Answer 1

Let's represent the cost of ordering balloons from Balloon Express as $2x + 10$ and the cost of ordering balloons from Balloon Mania as $1.5x + 20$, where $x$ represents the number of balloons ordered.

According to the problem, the O’Donnells plan to order 30 balloons. Substituting $x = 30$ into the equations, we get:

Balloon Express: $2(30) + 10 = 60 + 10 = 70$

Balloon Mania: $1.5(30) + 20 = 45 + 20 = 65$

Therefore, the O’Donnells should choose Balloon Mania as they will save $5 compared to Balloon Express. So, the correct answer is option 4: Balloon Mania; $5.

Let's represent the cost of ordering balloons from Balloon Express as \(2x + 10\) and the cost of ordering balloons from Balloon Mania as \(1.5x + 20\), where \(x\) represents the number of balloons ordered.