Question

Margo spends 0.25 of her paycheck on a new dress, 1/8 of her paycheck on shoes, and $24 on a birthday present. If she spent $60 altogether, how much was Margo’s paycheck?
a) $96
b) $160
c) $216
d) $504

Answer 1

First, lets set up the equation.
0.25x + (1/8)x + 24 = 60
The variable x will be equal to the total amount of the paycheck. We used 0.25 of the paycheck on the first item bought, 1/8 on the second item bought, and then 24 more dollars. After assembling the equation, we merely need to solve for x to find the value of the paycheck. I'll be converting 1/8 to 0.125 at this point for simplisity's sake.

Subtract 24 from both sides.
0.25x + 0.125x = 36
Combine like terms on the left side.
0.375x = 36
Divide both sides by 0.375.
x = 96
The total is A, 96 dollars.