Richie spent $120 on 12 rose bushes and 2 gardenias, while Jim spent 3150 on 10 rose bushes and 10 gardenias. What is the cost of 1 rose bush and 1 gardenia?
Q. Richie spent $120 on 12 rose bushes and 2 gardenias, while Jim spent 3150 on 10 rose bushes and 10 gardenias. What is the cost of 1 rose bush and 1 gardenia?
Equation for Richie's purchase: Let's denote the cost of one rose bush as R dollars and the cost of one gardenia as G dollars. Richie's purchase can be represented by the equation:12R+2G=120 dollars.
Equation for Jim's purchase: Similarly, Jim's purchase can be represented by the equation: 10R+10G=3150 dollars.
Elimination method: To solve for R and G, we can use the method of substitution or elimination. Let's use elimination. First, we'll multiply Richie's equation by 5 to align the G terms with Jim's equation:(12R+2G)×5=120×560R+10G=600
Subtract equations: Now we have two equations:60R+10G=600 (Richie's equation multiplied by 5)10R+10G=3150 (Jim's equation)We can subtract Jim's equation from the modified Richie's equation to eliminate G:(60R+10G)−(10R+10G)=600−315050R=−2550
Solve for R: Dividing both sides of the equation by 50 to solve for R:5050R=50−2550R=−51We have a negative value for the cost of a rose bush, which doesn't make sense in this context. There must be a mistake in the previous steps.