Question

The Walnut Cove Ruritan Club sells hot dogs and drinks from a concession stand at the annual July 4 parade. Carl bought 6 hot dogs and 4 drinks, paying $17.00. Susan purchased 3 hot dogs and 4 drinks and was charged $12.50. What's the cost of 1 hot dog, and what's the cost of 1 drink? A. $2.50 for a hot dog; $1.00 for a drink B. $1.40 for a hot dog; $2.15 for a drink C. $1.60 for a hot dog; $1.85 for a drink D. $1.50 for a hot dog; $2.00 for a drink

Answer 1

Based on the two different purchases, you can write equations for the price of a hotdog (h) and that of a drink (d). These equations can be solved by your favorite method to find the individual prices.

... 6h +4d = 17.00 . . . . . . Carl's purchase

... 3h +4d = 12.50 . . . . . . Susan's purchase

We can see that the difference in purchase cost (of $4.50) is due entirely to the difference in the number of hotdogs (3). Thus, the price of a hotdog must be

... $4.50/3 = $1.50

The 4 drinks are then ($12.50 -4.50) = $8, so must be $2 each. You don't need to figure the cost of a drink to determine that the appropriate answer choice is ...

... D. $1.50 for a hot dog; $2.00 for a drink.