An artist needs to purchase jars of paint. The table shows different sizes of paint jars and their prices.

Question

A 2-column table with 4 rows. Column 1 is labeled Paints with entries 2 ounce jar, 4 ounce jar, 8 ounce jar, 16 ounce jar. Column 2 is labeled Total price with entries 1 dollar and 50 cents, 2 dollars and 92 cents, 5 dollars and 68 cents, 11 dollars and 62 cents.

Which quantity container is the better buy?
2-oz jar
4-oz jar
8-oz jar
16-oz jar

Answer 1

To determine which paint jar is the better buy, we need to calculate the price per ounce for each jar size.

1. 2-ounce jar:

   • Total price: $1.50
   • Price per ounce: \( \frac{1.50}{2} = 0.75 \) dollars per ounce

2. 4-ounce jar:

   • Total price: $2.92
   • Price per ounce: \( \frac{2.92}{4} = 0.73 \) dollars per ounce

3. 8-ounce jar:

   • Total price: $5.68
   • Price per ounce: \( \frac{5.68}{8} = 0.71 \) dollars per ounce

4. 16-ounce jar:

   • Total price: $11.62
   • Price per ounce: \( \frac{11.62}{16} = 0.7275 \) dollars per ounce

Now we summarize the price per ounce for each jar:

• 2-ounce jar: $0.75 per ounce
• 4-ounce jar: $0.73 per ounce
• 8-ounce jar: $0.71 per ounce
• 16-ounce jar: $0.7275 per ounce

From these calculations, the 8-ounce jar offers the lowest price at $0.71 per ounce, making it the best buy among the options.