Listen. Leslie is buying Girl Scout cookies for $5 per box. Which equation represents the situation? Let c represent the total cost and b represent the number of boxes purchased.
c=5b
c=5+b
b=5+c
b=5c
Answer (1)
The problem describes a direct relationship between the number of boxes of cookies purchased and the total cost. The total cost is found by multiplying the number of boxes by the price per box.
The total cost, c , equals the price per box, which is $5, multiplied by the number of boxes, b .
Express the relationship as c = 5 × b .
Simplify the equation to c = 5 b .
The equation that represents the situation is c = 5 b .
Explanation
Problem Analysis Let's analyze the problem. We are given that Leslie is buying Girl Scout cookies for $5 per box. We need to find an equation that represents the total cost (c) in terms of the number of boxes purchased (b).
Formulating the Equation The total cost is the price per box multiplied by the number of boxes. So, the total cost (c) is equal to 5 t im es t h e n u mb ero f b o x es ( b ) . T hi sc anb e w r i tt e na s : c = 5 × b w hi c hi s t h es am e a s c = 5 b $
Checking the Options Now, let's check the given options:
c = 5 b - This matches our derived equation.
c = 5 + b - This would mean the cost is $5 plus the number of boxes, which is incorrect.
b = 5 + c - This would mean the number of boxes is $5 plus the total cost, which is incorrect.
b = 5 c - This would mean the number of boxes is $5 times the total cost, which is incorrect.
Final Answer Therefore, the correct equation is c = 5 b .
Examples
Imagine you're selling lemonade for $1.50 a cup. The equation c = 1.5b tells you the total cost (c) you'll earn based on the number of cups (b) you sell. This kind of equation is useful for budgeting, calculating revenue, and understanding the relationship between price, quantity, and total cost in many everyday situations, from buying groceries to running a business.
