Jenny has $1200 and is spending $40 per week. Kelsey has $120 and is saving $50 a week. In how many weeks will Jenny and Kelsey have the same amount of money?
Jenny: Let w be the number of weeks. Spending means we subtract, so we set up a balance equation B(w):
B(w) = 1200 - 40w
Kelsey: Let w be the number of weeks. Saving means we add, so we set up a balance equation B(w):
B(w) = 120 + 50w
When they have the same amount of money, we set the balance equations equal to each other:
1200 - 40w = 120 + 50w
To solve for w, we type this equation into our search engine and we get:
w = 12
Jenny: Let w be the number of weeks. Spending means we subtract, so we set up a balance equation B(w):
B(w) = 1200 - 40w
Kelsey: Let w be the number of weeks. Saving means we add, so we set up a balance equation B(w):
B(w) = 120 + 50w
When they have the same amount of money, we set the balance equations equal to each other:
1200 - 40w = 120 + 50w
To solve for w, we type this equation into our search engine and we get:
w = 12