Question

A party rental company has chairs and tables for rent. The total cost to rent 4 chairs and 8 tables is $89 . The total cost to rent 2 chairs and 3 tables is $34 . What is the cost to rent each chair and each table?
Costtorenteachchair:$

Costtorenteachtable:$

Answer 1

Let C = cost to rent each chairLet T = cost to rent each table

 4C + 8T = 73
2C + 3T = 28 
Multiply the 2nd equation by (-2) and then add the equations together 

  4C + 8T = 73
-4C - 6T = -56
 2T = 17T = 17/2 = 8.5

 Plug this in to the 1st equation to solve for C
 4C + 8(17/2) = 73
4C + 68 = 73
4C = 5C = 5/4 = 1.25
 So the cost to rent each chair is $1.25 and the cost to rent each table is $8.50 

Answer 2

4c + 8t = 89
2c + 3t = 34....multiply by -2
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4c + 8t = 89
-4c - 6t = - 68 (result of multiplying by -2)
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2t = 21
t = 21/2
t = 10.50 <== table

2c + 3t = 34
2c + 3(10.5) = 34
2c + 31.5 = 34
2c = 34 - 31.5
2c = 2.5
c = 2.5/2
c = 1.25 <== chair