A shop owner paid a total of $972 for some coats and some jackets. He paid $324 less for the coats than the jackets. Each jacket cost $18 more than each coat. The number of coats he bought was ²₃ of the number of jackets bought.

1. How much did he pay for all the coats?
2. How many coats did he buy?

	Coats	Jackets	Difference in cost	Number of items in 1 set
Number of sets	2	3
Total cost	$324	$648
Cost of 1 set	324 ÷ 2 = $162	648 ÷ 3 = $216	216 - 162 = $54
Cost of each item	1 u	1 u + $18	$18	54 ÷ 18 = 3

(a)
Total amount = $972
Total amount spent on coats = (972 - 324) ÷ 2 = $324
Total amount spent on jackets = 324 + 324 = $648

Amount that he paid for all the coats = $324

(b)
2 sets of coats = $324
3 sets of jackets = $648

1 set of coats = 324 ÷ 2 = $162
1 set of jackets = 648 ÷ 3 = $216

Difference in the amount paid for each set of jackets and coats
= 216 - 162
= $54

The extra $54 is due to each jacket costing $18 more than each coat.

Number of coats in 1 set
= 54 ÷ 18
= 3

Number of coats that he bought
= 2 sets of coats
= 2 x 3
= 6

Answer(s): (a) $324; (b) 6