document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=130728>Question 130728</A>This question is from textbook <A HREF=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072918861/algebrahomeworkh>ALGEBRA FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS MARK DUGOPOLSKI </A><BR>\n" );
document.write( ": <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Buying texts. melissa purchased an engllish text, a math text, and a chemistry text for a total of $276. the english text was $20 more than the math text and the chemistry text was twice the price of the math text. What is the price of each text? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #95462 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=95462\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Let E represent the cost of the English text, M represent the cost of the Math text, and C<BR>\n" );
document.write( "represent the cost of the Chemistry text.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "The problem tells you that the total cost for all three texts is $276. So if we add the three costs,<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the total should be $276. We can write this in equation form as:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "E + M + C = 276<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "The problem then tells us that the English text cost $20 more than the Math text. So if we add<BR>\n" );
document.write( "$20 to the cost of the Math text we know that the result is equal to the cost of the English<BR>\n" );
document.write( "text. In equation form this is:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "E = M + 20<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Therefore, in our equation for the total cost we can replace E with its equivalent value<BR>\n" );
document.write( "of M + 20. This makes the cost equation become:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(M + 20) + M + C = 276<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Next we are told that the Chemistry text costs twice as much as the Math text. So if we double<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the cost of the Math text, we have the price of the Chemistry text. In equation form this is:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "C = 2*M<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "So in our latest version of the equation for the total cost we can replace C with its<BR>\n" );
document.write( "equivalent value of 2*M to get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "(M + 20) + M + (2*M) = 276<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "The three terms containing M are M, M, and 2M. Combine them to get 4M and the equation reduces to:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "4M + 20 = 276<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Get rid of the 20 on the left side by subtracting 20 from both sides to get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "4M = 256<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Solve for M by dividing both sides of this equation by 4 and you have:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "M = 64<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "So we know the Math text costs $64. The English text costs $20 more than that so it costs $84.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "And the Chemistry text costs twice the Math text so it costs 2 times $64 or $128.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Check: the costs of the three texts are English $84, Math $64, and Chemistry $128. Add them<BR>\n" );
document.write( "and you get a total of $84 + $64 + $128 = $276. That checks. So our answer is correct.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this helps you to understand the problem and shows you a way that you can solve the<BR>\n" );
document.write( "problem.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ". </SPAN>\n" );
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