Jasmine bought 1.3 pounds of ham and 0.8 pounds of cheese from the deli and paid $11.28. She went back the following week and bo

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Jasmine bought 1.3 pounds of ham and 0.8 pounds of cheese from the deli and paid $11.28. She went back the following week and bo

ught 1.5 pounds of ham and 1.2 pounds of cheese and paid $14.76. If the prices remained the same, find the price per pound of ham and cheese using the elimination method

Mathematics

1 answer:

lawyer [12.5K] · Answer 1 · 2026-02-24T06:45:27+03:00

Let

x represent the cost per pound of ham
y represent the cost per pound of cheese

<span>1.3x + 0.8y = 11.28....(1)
1.5x + 1.2y = 14.76....(2)

Now, let's multiply equation (1) by -1.2
...and multiply equation (2) by 0.8

Then we obtain -1.56x - 0.96y = -13.536.....(3)
</span>...and 1.2x + 0.96y = 11.808.....(4)

Adding (3) and (4) results in

-0.36x = -1.728............> x = 4.8

Substituting x back into (1)

1.3(4.8) + 0.8y = 11.28

y = 6.3

Cost per pound of ham = x = 4.8
Cost per pound of cheese = y = 6.3