document.write( "Question 307537: The cost of 4 boxes of small paper clips and 9 boxes of large paper clips is $15.75. Eight boxes of small clips and 7 boxes of large ones cost $16.65. Find the cost of a box of each size of paper clips.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I tried to solve this word problem, but with no success. I got that small clips cost -$29.48 and large ones cost $14.85. As you can tell, these answers don't even make sense, and I have no idea what I did wrong! If you could help me that would be great! I have a test on this material tomorrow and I am panicking! :(
\n" ); document.write( "Thank You in advance!!!
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Algebra.Com's Answer #220007 by scott8148(6628)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
\"cost of 4 boxes of small paper clips and 9 boxes of large paper clips is $15.75\" ___ 4s + 9L = 15.75 ___ 8s + 18L = 31.50\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"Eight boxes of small clips and 7 boxes of large ones cost $16.65\" ___ 8s + 7L = 16.65\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "subtracting equations ___ 11L = 14.85 ___ L = 1.35\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "substituting ___ 4s + 9(1.35) = 15.75 ___ 4s = 3.60 ___ s = .90\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the \"trick\" is to get one set of coefficients to have the same value by multiplying (sometimes both equations)
\n" ); document.write( "___ then \"cancel\" the variable by subtracting
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