AlgebraMediumGreatest number within a budget after a fixed purchase
Algebra practice question
Mia has at most $50 to spend on notebooks at $3.20 each and pens at $1.40 each. If she buys 8 notebooks, what is the greatest number of pens she can buy?
Answer: 17
The notebooks cost 8 × $3.20 = $25.60, leaving $24.40. Then 1.40p ≤ 24.40 gives p ≤ 17.43, so the greatest whole number of pens is 17.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 15
- 15 undercounts: 15 pens cost $21, leaving money for two more.
- If you answered 18
- 18 pens would cost $25.20, more than the $24.40 left.
- If you answered 35
- 35 comes from 50 ÷ 1.40, ignoring the notebooks.
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