Mylee is a stamp collector and buys commemorative stamps. Suppose she buys a combination of 47-cent stamps and 34-cent stamps at the post office. If she spends exactly $21.55 on 50 stamps, how many of each type did she buy?

Respuesta :

Let x represent the number of 47-cent stamps that Mylee bought, and y the number of 34-cent stamps. Using the given information you can set the following system of equations:

[tex]\begin{gathered} 0.47x+0.34y=21.55, \\ x+y=50. \end{gathered}[/tex]

Multiplying the second equation by 0.47 and subtracting it from the first equation, you get:

[tex]0.47x-0.47x+0.34y-0.47y=21.55-23.5.[/tex]

Solving the above equation for y, you get:

[tex]\begin{gathered} -0.13y=-1.95, \\ y=\frac{1.95}{0.13}, \\ y=15. \end{gathered}[/tex]

Using the second equation of the system you get:

[tex]\begin{gathered} x+15=50, \\ x=50-15, \\ x=35. \end{gathered}[/tex]

Answer:

[tex]\begin{gathered} 35\text{ of 47-cent stamps,} \\ 15\text{ of 34-cent stamps.} \end{gathered}[/tex]