The first thing we are going to do for this case is define variables: x: gallons of paint y: brushes We then have the following expression: f (x, y) = 13x + 9y For x = 1 and y = 2 we have: f (1, 2) = 13 (1) + 9 (2) f (1, 2) = 13 + 18 f (1, 2) = 31 Answer: The total cost, not including tax, of the brushes and the paint they bought is: $ 31