Jim bought some potted plants. Petunias cost $11 per pot and Begonias cost $15 per pot. Jim bought 19 potted plants in all and spent a total of $225 on the plants. Which would be a correct statement?

Question

Jim bought 15 petunias
Jim bought 4 petunias
Jim bought 15 begonias
Jim bought 18 begonias

Answer 1

Let \( p \) be the number of petunias and \( b \) be the number of begonias. We can set up the following system of equations based on the information given:

1. The total number of plants: \[ p + b = 19 \]

2. The total cost of the plants: \[ 11p + 15b = 225 \]

Now, we can solve these equations step by step.

From the first equation, we can express \( b \) in terms of \( p \): \[ b = 19 - p \]

Next, we substitute this expression for \( b \) into the second equation: \[ 11p + 15(19 - p) = 225 \]

Now, distribute the 15: \[ 11p + 285 - 15p = 225 \]

Combine like terms: \[ -4p + 285 = 225 \]

Now, subtract 285 from both sides: \[ -4p = 225 - 285 \] \[ -4p = -60 \]

Divide by -4: \[ p = 15 \]

Now that we have \( p \), we can find \( b \): \[ b = 19 - p = 19 - 15 = 4 \]

So, Jim bought 15 petunias and 4 begonias.

Therefore, the correct statement is: Jim bought 15 petunias.