SOLUTION: At a circus, the cost for tickets was $4 for all adults over 60 and $7 for all others. If 458 people bought tickets and a total of $2300 was received, how many tickets were sold t

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Misc -> SOLUTION: At a circus, the cost for tickets was $4 for all adults over 60 and $7 for all others. If 458 people bought tickets and a total of $2300 was received, how many tickets were sold t      Log On

Ad: Over 600 Algebra Word Problems at edhelper.com


    

Question 680552: At a circus, the cost for tickets was $4 for all adults over 60 and $7 for all others. If 458 people bought tickets and a total of $2300 was received, how many tickets were sold to adults over 60?
I have been over this a million times and can't wrap my head around it. Help please!!
Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
i think this is the easiest way to understand it:
Let +a+ = number of tickets sold to adults over 60
Let +b+ = number of tickets sold to all others
---------------
given:
(1) +a+%2B+b+=+458+
(2) +4a+%2B+7b+=+2300+
---------------------
Multiply both sides of (1) by +4+
and subtract (1) from (2)
(2) +4a+%2B+7b+=+2300+
(1) +-4a+-+4b+=+-1832+
+3b+=+468+
+b+=+156+
and, since
(1) +a+%2B+b+=+458+
(1) +a+%2B+156+=+458+
(1) +a+=+302+
302 tickets were sold to adults over 60
(156 tickets were sold to all others)
Hope this helps