Members of a softball team raised $1186.50 to go to a tournament. They rented a bus for $842.50 and budgeted $21.50 per player for meals. Write and solve an equation which can be used to determine xx, the number of players the team can bring to the tournament.

Answer 1

To find the number of players the team can bring to the tournament, we can set up the following equation based on the information given:

• Total funds raised: $1186.50
• Cost of renting the bus: $842.50
• Cost per player for meals: $21.50

Let \( x \) be the number of players.

The total expense for the team includes the cost of the bus and the meals for each player, which can be represented by the equation:

\[ \text{Total funds} = \text{Cost of bus} + \text{Cost per player} \times \text{Number of players} \]

This translates to:

\[ 1186.50 = 842.50 + 21.50x \]

Now, we need to solve for \( x \).

1. Subtract the cost of the bus from both sides:

\[ 1186.50 - 842.50 = 21.50x \]

2. Calculate:

\[ 344 = 21.50x \]

3. Now, divide both sides by 21.50 to find \( x \):

\[ x = \frac{344}{21.50} \]

4. Calculate the division:

\[ x \approx 16 \]

Thus, the team can bring approximately 16 players to the tournament.