Question

James went to the store to return a defective $45 tape recorder for a refund. At the same time, he bought some batteries for $3 per package. If he received $33 dollars of his refund, how many packages of batteries did he buy?

Answer 1

If he returned something that cost $45, and in the end he received $33 of it back, that means that inbetween getting his $45 back and leaving the store with only $33 of it, he spent $45 - $33, which is $12. If each pack of batteries costs $3, divide $12 by $3 to see how many packs of batteries that comes out to. See that?