Question

A customer at the mall is shopping for holiday gifts, and is considering having them wrapped. He can get them wrapped at the department store, which charges $2 per gift. Alternatively, the customer can pay his niece a flat fee of $50 to wrap all of his gifts. If he has a certain number of small packages, it would cost the same amount either way. How many small gifts would that include?

Answer 1

It would include 25 gifts for the cost the same amount either way

Solution:

Let "a" be the number of gifts to be wrapped

He can get them wrapped at the department store, which charges $2 per gift

Therefore,

Cost at department store: 2(number of gifts)

Cost at department store:  2a

The customer can pay his niece a flat fee of $50 to wrap all of his gifts

Cost at his niece: 50

He has a certain number of small packages, it would cost the same amount either way

Therefore,

Cost at department store = Cost at his niece

2a = 50

Divide both sides by 2

a = 25

Thus it would include 25 gifts for the cost the same amount either way