Question

A shopper purchased 8 t shirts and 5 pairs of pants for 220. The next day he purchased 5 t shirts and 1 pair of pants for 112. How much does each t shirt and each pair of pants cost?

Answer 1

Set it up as a system of equations. Let x=t-shirts and y=pants

Answer 2

eq1:
\[8x+5y=220\]
eq2:
\[5x+y=112\]
Eleminate one of the variables, which in this case "y" would be an easy choice.
So, multiply eq.2 by -5
\[(5x+y=112)-5\]
\[=-25x-5y=-560\]
Now, add that to eq.1:
\[8x+5y=220\]
\[-25x-5y=-560\]
=
\[-17x=-340\]
Solve for x, then substitute x into either original eq. and you'll get y