Give an equation that can be used to solve. Lucia goes to the art store and spends $38. She buys a canvas for $20 and some new paints. If each paint cost $3, how many did she buy?

Answer 1

To find out how many paints Lucia bought, we can set up the equation as follows:

Let \( x \) be the number of paints she bought.

The total amount she spent can be expressed as: \[ 20 + 3x = 38 \]

Here, $20 is the cost of the canvas, and \( 3x \) is the total cost of the paints (where each paint costs $3).

Now, we can solve the equation for \( x \):

1. Subtract 20 from both sides: \[ 3x = 38 - 20 \] \[ 3x = 18 \]

2. Divide both sides by 3: \[ x = \frac{18}{3} \] \[ x = 6 \]

So, Lucia bought 6 paints.