You are buying $20 worth of bird seed that consists of two types of seed. Thistle seed costs $2 a pound and dark oil seed costs $1.50 a pound. Write an equation in standard form that represents the different amounts of $2 thistle seed, x, and $1.50 dark oil seed, y, that you could buy.

Question

You are buying $20 worth of bird seed that consists of two types of seed.  Thistle seed costs $2 a pound and dark oil seed costs $1.50 a pound.  Write an equation in standard form that represents the different amounts of $2 thistle seed, x, and $1.50 dark oil seed, y, that you could buy.

anonymous · Answer

I know that I would clear the decimals to get 200x + 150y = 2000.  now is that my answer?

anonymous · Answer

If you were to write it with decimals, you don't have the chance of making any mistakes.

anonymous · Answer

what do you mean?

anonymous · Answer

Instead of multiplying it out by 100, just leave it in decimal format.

anonymous · Answer

but the numbers are suppose to be integers

anonymous · Answer

Doesn't specify such in the question, but I get your point.

anonymous · Answer

It would look like 2x+1.5y=20. Just multiply it by 2
so, you'll get 4x+3y=40

anonymous · Answer

I just don't see the point of multiplying by 100. Does that help? And yes, the equation that you had would be the correct answer.

anonymous · Answer

but if i do multiply by 100 and get 200x + 300y = 2000, is it true that the only factor they should share is 1?

anonymous · Answer

That is not true.

anonymous · Answer

200x + 150y = 2000.
Multiply everything by 2
400x+300y=4000
Now, divide everything by 100.

anonymous · Answer

why muliply by 2?

anonymous · Answer

that's where I'm getting lost

anonymous · Answer

You can multiply by anything.

anonymous · Answer

By 10, 15, 16 etc. All what you are doing is scaling it by that number.

anonymous · Answer

thanks