Question

Paulie ordered 250 pens and 250 pencils to sell for a theatre club fundraiser. The pens cost 11 cents more than the pencils. If Paulie's total order costs $42.50, find the cost of each pen and pencil.

Answer 1

Remember that cents has a decimal when put in an equation.
250(x + 11) + 250x = 4250
250x + 2750 + 250x = 4250
500x + 2750 = 4250
500x = 1500
x = 3 cents (pencils)
x+11 = 14 cents (pens)