A vendor paid a total of $1440 for some dresses and some jackets. He paid $640 more for the jackets than the dresses. Each jacket cost $18 more than each dress. The number of dresses he bought was ⁴₅ of the number of jackets bought.

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

	Dresses	Jackets	Difference in cost	Number of items in 1 set
Number of sets	4	5
Total cost	$400	$1040
Cost of 1 set	400 ÷ 4 = $100	1040 ÷ 5 = $208	208 - 100 = $108
Cost of each item	1 u	1 u + $18	$18	108 ÷ 18 = 6

(a)
Total amount = $1440
Total amount spent on dresses = (1440 - 640) ÷ 2 = $400
Total amount spent on jackets = 400 + 640 = $1040

Amount that he paid for all the dresses = $400

(b)
4 sets of dresses = $400
5 sets of jackets = $1040

1 set of dresses = 400 ÷ 4 = $100
1 set of jackets = 1040 ÷ 5 = $208

Difference in the amount paid for each set of jackets and dresses
= 208 - 100
= $108

The extra $108 is due to each jacket costing $18 more than each dress.

Number of dresses in 1 set
= 108 ÷ 18
= 6

Number of dresses that he bought
= 4 sets of dresses
= 4 x 6
= 24

Answer(s): (a) $400; (b) 24