Question 1093105
<br>How about an informal solution using logical reasoning, without formal algebra....<br>
Look at it this way.  You pick out 3 apples and 2 pears, and you see the cost is going to be 61 cents.  You put back 1 apple and take 1 more pear; now you have 2 apples and 3 pears, and now you see the cost is 59 cents.<br>
So do that again (put back another apple and take another pear.  Now you have 1 apple and 4 pears, and the cost is 57 cents.  Do it once more; now you have only 5 pears, and the cost is 55 cents.  So each pear costs 11 cents.<br>
From there, there are many different ways -- formal and informal -- to determine that the cost of each apple is 13 cents.