Question

They bought 36 plants in all. Each azalea cost $5.00 and each crepe myrtle cost $8.00. They spent $228 for the plants. How many azaleas did they buy?

Answer 1

To solve for the number of azaleas purchased, set up a system of equations and solve by elimination. After simplifying, it's found that 20 azaleas were bought.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out how many azaleas were bought when 36 plants were purchased in total, and taking into account that each azalea costs $5.00 and each crepe myrtle costs $8.00, you can set up a system of equations based on the given information. Let A represent the number of azaleas and C represent the number of crepe myrtles bought.

The two equations representing the scenario will be:

1. A + C = 36 (because 36 plants were bought in total)
2. 5A + 8C = 228 (because the total amount spent on plants is $228)

To solve the system, you can multiply the first equation by 5 to eliminate the variable A:

1. 5A + 5C = 180 (1st equation multiplied by 5)
2. 5A + 8C = 228 (2nd equation)

Subtracting the first new equation from the second equation, we get:

3C = 48
C = 16

Substituting C back into the first original equation:

A + 16 = 36A = 20

Thus, the number of azaleas bought is 20.

Answer 2

plus the 5.00 8.00 and 228 then minus 36