Chapter 4.6, Problem 42STP

To determine

To find : the number of dollars that is needed by Nick to pay for snacks.

Answer to Problem 42STP

Nick needs 3 dollars .

Explanation of Solution

Given information: Andrew needs x dollars for a snack. Scott needs 2 more dollars than Andrew, but Nick only needs half as many dollars as Andrew. Altogether, they need $17 to pay for their snacks.

Solution:

Andrew needs x dollars for a snack. Scott needs 2 more dollars than Andrew , then Scott needs ( x+ 2) dollars. But Nick needs half as many dollars as Andrew, so Nick needs $\frac{x}{2}$ dollars.

Altogether, they need $17 to pay for their snacks.

Therefore,

  $\begin{array}{l}x+\left(x+2\right)+\frac{x}{2}=17\\ 2x+\frac{x}{2}=15\\ \frac{5}{2}x=15\\ x=15\times \frac{2}{5}=6\end{array}$

Thus, Nick needs 3 dollars .