How do you find the cost of a gallon of water if the cost of a gallon of milk is $0.50 more than five times the cost of a gallon of water and if a gallon of milk costs $3.75?

Question

Ethan Adkins · Accepted Answer

A gallon of water costs #$0.65#

Problems like this can be confusing because it's hard to figure out how to express amounts like "$0.50 more than five times the cost of a gallon of water."

The trick is to write the math expression one step at a time.

Find a way to express the cost of a gallon of milk

Let #x# represent the cost of a gallon of water

Cost of water . . . . . . . . . #x# #larr# cost of a gallon of water #5# times as much . . . . . .#5x# #50ȼ# more than that . . . #5x + 50# #larr# cost of a gallon of milk

Write the equation and solve for #x#

#5x + $0.50 = $3.75# Solve for #x#, already defined as "the cost of a gallon of water"

1) Subtract #$0.50# from both sides to isolate the #5x# term #5x = $3.25#

2) Divide both sides by #5# to isolate #x#, already defined as "the cost of a gallon of water" #x = $0.65# #larr# answer for "the cost of a gallon of water"

Answer A gallon of water costs #$0.65#

#color(white)(......)# ――――――――

Check

#1# gallon of water . . . . . #$0.65# #5# times that . . . . . . . . . .#$3.25# 50ȼ more than that . .. .#$3.75# ✓

#Check#

Isaiah Anthony · Answer

undefined To find the cost of a gallon of water, first, calculate five times the cost of a gallon of water: $3.75 - $0.50 = $3.25. Then divide this value by 5: $3.25 / 5 = $0.65. So, the cost of a gallon of water is $0.65.