Sara and Josh, two of Emily’s friends, decided to throw her a surprise birthday party. They invited Sam, who was able to return to town for the weekend. So Emily would get to see her friend Sam at last!

If Sara and Josh spent a total of $34 on their gifts and Josh spent one dollar more than twice the amount Sara spent, how much did each of them spend on his or her gift?

Question

Sara and Josh, two of Emily’s friends, decided to throw her a surprise birthday party. They invited Sam, who was able to return to town for the weekend. So Emily would get to see her friend Sam at last!

If Sara and Josh spent a total of $34 on their gifts and Josh spent one dollar more than twice the amount Sara spent, how much did each of them spend on his or her gift?

mathstudent55 · Answer

Amount Sara spent = s
Amount Josh spent = j
Sara and Josh spent a total of $34 : s + j = 34
Josh spent one dollar more than twice the amount Sara spent: j = 2s + 1

Solve the system of equations:
s + j = 34
j = 2s + 1
Since the second equation is already solved for j, just substitute it into the first equation.

anonymous · Answer

You are such a doll, thank you so so so much!

mathstudent55 · Answer

You're welcome.