If three bags of jellybeans and two bags of chocolate chips are 24 cents and 4 bags of chocolates and two bags of jellybeans are also 24 cents how much is each bag?
Call the jellybeans J and the chocolate chip bags CNow we have two equations 3J + 2C = 242J + 4C = 24 Therefore 3J + 2C = 2J+4C ,and 1J=2C, so 4J = 24, J = 6¢ (price of jellybeans) , therefore C =3¢ (price of chocolate chips) Or we can do the usual algebra method of making two of the values the same and subtracting the two equations. Multiply the second equation by -0.5 3J + 2C = 24- 1J -2C = -12-----------------2J +0C = 12 J = 6 3(6) + 2C = 24 18 + 2C = 24 2C = 24 - 18 2C = 6 C = 3