Question

Mary and Mike went to the store to buy colored pencils for their science class.mike bought a 12-pack for 1.69,and Mary bought a 24-pack for 3.18
Which was the better buy?

Answer 1

12-pack for 1.69 is a better buy

Solution:

Given that, Mike bought a 12-pack for 1.69 and Mary bought a 24-pack for 3.18

We have to find which is the better buy

First we have to find the unit rate

Unit rate is cost of 1 pack

Mike bought a 12-pack for 1.69

Therefore,

Cost of 12 pack = 1.69

Cost of 1 pack is found by dividing 1.69 by 12

$cost\ of\ 1\ pack = \frac{1.69}{12} = 0.14083$

Thus unit rate of Mike is 0.14083 dollar per pack

Mary bought a 24-pack for 3.18

Cost of 24 pack = 3.18

Cost of 1 pack is found by dividing 3.18 by 24

$cost\ of\ 1\ pack = \frac{3.18}{24} = 0.1325$

Thus unit rate of Mary is 0.1325 dollars

On comparing both the unit rate

$0.14083>0.1325$

Thus unit rate of Mike is larger

Thus, 12-pack for 1.69 is a better buy