Sally and Anne went to the movies. They each purchased a drink. They also bought one popcorn and one veggie cup to share. Each woman’ total is modeled with this expression:

9 + 1.34 +
1
2
(3.50 +1.74)

How would you simplify the expression? Explain your steps.

1 answer

To simplify the expression \( 9 + 1.34 + \frac{1}{2} (3.50 + 1.74) \), we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Simplify the parentheses

Start by simplifying the expression inside the parentheses:

\[ 3.50 + 1.74 = 5.24 \]

Step 2: Substitute back into the expression

Now substitute \( 5.24 \) back into the original expression:

\[ 9 + 1.34 + \frac{1}{2} (5.24) \]

Step 3: Calculate the half of the sum

Next, calculate \( \frac{1}{2} \times 5.24 \):

\[ \frac{1}{2} \times 5.24 = 2.62 \]

Step 4: Substitute again

Now substitute \( 2.62 \) back into the expression:

\[ 9 + 1.34 + 2.62 \]

Step 5: Add all the terms

Now, add all the terms together:

  1. First add \( 9 + 1.34 \):

\[ 9 + 1.34 = 10.34 \]

  1. Then add \( 10.34 + 2.62 \):

\[ 10.34 + 2.62 = 12.96 \]

Conclusion

Thus, the simplified expression is:

\[ \boxed{12.96} \]