Ian and Julian had $168 and $148 respectively. Each of them bought a blouse and a sweater at the same price. The cost of the blouse was 5 times as much as the sweater. In the end, Ian had 3 times as much money as Julian. What was the difference between the cost of the sweater and the blouse?

	Ian	Julian	Difference
Before	$168	$148	$20
Change	- 6 p	- 6 p
After	3 u	1 u	2 u

Since Ian and Julian bought the same items at the same price, the difference in the amounts they had remains unchanged at first and in the end.

3 u - 1 u = 168 - 148
2 u = 20

1 u = 20 ÷ 2 = 10

Cost of 1 blouse = 5 p
Cost of 1 sweater = 1 p

Total cost of 1 blouse and 1 sweater
= 5 p + 1 p
= 6 p

6 p = 148 - 10
6 p = 138

1 p = 138 ÷ 6 = 23

Difference in the cost between the blouse and the sweater
= 5 p - 1 p
= 4 p
= 4 x 23
= $92

Answer(s): $92