Question

Iris wants to buy sneakers at $15 each and high heels at $30 each. Write an algebraic expression to find the total cost of the shoes if she buys x sneakers and y high heels. Write your answer in the form “ax + by” where a and b are positive or negative constants.

Answer 1

Answer: 30y + 15x

If x is for sneakers, and y is for high heels, plug 15 in for a and 30 in for b. This means that x is how many sneakers she buys, and y is how many high heels she buys. The equation altogether represents the total amount of her purchases.