Question

Portia bought 12 bushes and 30 flowers for $240 to plant in her yard. Later, she realized she did not have enough plants and bought 7 more bushes and 10 more flowers for $125. How much did each bush and flower cost?

Answer 1

Answer: the cost of each bush is $15

the cost of each flower is $2

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the cost of each bush.

Let y represent the cost of each flower.

Portia bought 12 bushes and 30 flowers for $240 to plant in her yard. This is expressed as

12x + 30y = 240- - - - - - - - - - -1

Later, she realized she did not have enough plants and bought 7 more bushes and 10 more flowers for $125. This is expressed as

7x + 10y = 125- - - - - - - - - - -2

Multiplying equation 1 by 7 and equation 2 by 12, it becomes

84x + 210y = 1680

84x + 120y = 1500

Subtracting, it becomes

90y = 180

y = 180/90

y = 2

Substituting y = 2 into equation 1, it becomes

12x + 30 × 2 = 240

12x + 60 = 240

12x = 240 - 60 = 180

x = 180/12

x = 15