PSLE In a shop, candles are sold only in boxes. A box of 6 short candles costs $3.50 and a box of 4 long candles costs $5.90.
- Fabian wants 18 short candles and 2 long candles for his lanterns. What is the least amount of money that Fabian will need to spend on the candles?
- Kimberly bought 4 more long candles than short candles from the shop. The total number of candles she bought was fewer than 60. How much did Kimberly spend on the candles altogether?
(a)
Number of boxes of short candles that Fabian needs to buy
= 18 ÷ 6
= 3
Amount that Fabian needs to spend on short candles
= 3 x 3.50
= $10.50
Least amount that Fabian will need to spend
= 10.50 + 5.90
= $16.40
(b)
Packets of long candles
|
Number of long candles (x4) |
Packets of short candles
|
Number of short candles (x6) |
Total
|
Difference
|
Check
|
9 |
36 |
3 |
18 |
54 |
36 - 18 = 18 |
x |
8 |
32 |
3 |
18 |
50 |
32 - 18 = 14 |
x |
7 |
28 |
4 |
24 |
52 |
28 - 24 = 4 |
✓ |
To know the number of packets of long candles and short candles, we list the multiplies of 4 and 6.
We use systematic listing to find the difference between the number of long candles and short candles so that we can find the right combination that will result in having 4 more long candles.
We also check if the total number of candles must be less than 60.
Multiples of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60
Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60
Number of packets of long candles = 7
Cost of long candles
= 7 x 5.90
= $41.30
Cost of short candles
= 4 x 3.50
= $14.00
Total amount that Kimberly spent on the candles
= 41.30 + 14.00
= $55.30
Answer(s): (a) $16.40; (b) $55.30