Question

Three books and two pencils cost Ghana cedis 360, five books and a pencil cost Ghana cedis 550. Find the cost of
1. One pencil
2. One book
3. Five books and ten pencils

Answer 1

Let's represent the cost of one book as B and the cost of one pencil as P.

From the given information we can create two equations:

Equation 1: 3B + 2P = 360
Equation 2: 5B + P = 550

We can solve these two equations simultaneously to find the values of B and P.

To solve these equations:
First, multiply Equation 2 by 2:
2(5B + P) = 2(550)
=> 10B + 2P = 1100

Now, subtract this new equation from Equation 1:
(3B + 2P) - (10B + 2P) = 360 - 1100
=> -7B = -740
=> B = 740 / 7
=> B = 105.71

Now, substitute the value of B back into Equation 2 to find the value of P:
5(105.71) + P = 550
=> 528.57 + P = 550
=> P = 550 - 528.57
=> P = 21.43

Therefore, we have found that:
1. One pencil costs 21.43 Ghana cedis
2. One book costs 105.71 Ghana cedis
3. Five books and ten pencils cost:
5(105.71) + 10(21.43) = 535.71 + 214.29 = 750
So, five books and ten pencils cost 750 Ghana cedis.