Lauren is planning a catered dinner party for her parents' anniversary with a dinner budget of $288.

Question

She has selected two options: a chicken dinner that costs $9 per plate and a steak dinner that costs $12 per plate. Lauren is working on the guest list and must also determine how many of each meal to order.
Let a represent the number of chicken dinners and let y represent the number of steak dinners.
Complete the equation that represents this situation.
Make sure that you write the coefficient first, then the variable. For example 3 times x should be entered 3x and 5 times y should be entered 5y.
_ = 288

PART B
• If Lauren orders only chicken dinners, how many dinners can she order?

Enter the number in the box.
_ chicken dinners

PART C
• If Lauren orders only steak dinners, how many dinners can she order?

Enter the number in the box.
_steak dinners

Answer 1

The equation representing this situation is:

9a + 12y = 288

PART B:
If Lauren orders only chicken dinners, the equation becomes:

9a = 288

To find the number of chicken dinners Lauren can order, we can divide both sides of the equation by 9:

a = 32

So, Lauren can order 32 chicken dinners.

PART C:
If Lauren orders only steak dinners, the equation becomes:

12y = 288

To find the number of steak dinners Lauren can order, we can divide both sides of the equation by 12:

y = 24

So, Lauren can order 24 steak dinners.