PSLE In a shop, candles are sold only in boxes. A box of 9 short candles costs $2.60 and a box of 6 long candles costs $3.90.
- Cole wants 27 short candles and 3 long candles for his lanterns. What is the least amount of money that Cole will need to spend on the candles?
- Mary bought 9 more long candles than short candles from the shop. The total number of candles she bought was fewer than 70. How much did Mary spend on the candles altogether?
(a)
Number of boxes of short candles that Cole needs to buy
= 27 ÷ 9
= 3
Amount that Cole needs to spend on short candles
= 3 x 2.60
= $7.80
Least amount that Cole will need to spend
= 7.80 + 3.90
= $11.70
(b)
Packets of long candles
|
Number of long candles (x6) |
Packets of short candles
|
Number of short candles (x9) |
Total
|
Difference
|
Check
|
8 |
48 |
2 |
18 |
66 |
48 - 18 = 30 |
x |
7 |
42 |
2 |
18 |
60 |
42 - 18 = 24 |
x |
6 |
36 |
3 |
27 |
63 |
36 - 27 = 9 |
✓ |
To know the number of packets of long candles and short candles, we list the multiplies of 6 and 9.
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 9 more long candles.
We also check if the total number of candles must be less than 70.
Multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66
Multiples of 9: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63
Number of packets of long candles = 6
Cost of long candles
= 6 x 3.90
= $23.40
Cost of short candles
= 3 x 2.60
= $7.80
Total amount that Mary spent on the candles
= 23.40 + 7.80
= $31.20
Answer(s): (a) $11.70; (b) $31.20