Yesterday, the movie theater brought in $1,440 in ticket sales and $295.25 in food sales. Today, ticket sales were three-fourths as much as yesterday, and food sales were down by $33.50. Nina wrote the expression

Question

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(1440) + 295.25 + (-33.50)
to find today's total sales. Is she correct? Explain.

Answer 1

To assess whether Nina's expression is correct, we need to break down today's sales based on the information provided.

Yesterday's Sales:

• Ticket Sales = $1,440
• Food Sales = $295.25

Total Sales Yesterday: \[ 1440 + 295.25 = 1735.25 \]

Today's Sales:

• Ticket Sales: Today, ticket sales were three-fourths of yesterday's ticket sales. \[ \text{Today's Ticket Sales} = \frac{3}{4} \times 1440 = 1080 \]

• Food Sales: Food sales decreased by $33.50 compared to yesterday's food sales. \[ \text{Today's Food Sales} = 295.25 - 33.50 = 261.75 \]

Total Sales Today: Now, we can calculate the total sales for today: \[ \text{Total Sales Today} = \text{Today's Ticket Sales} + \text{Today's Food Sales} = 1080 + 261.75 = 1341.75 \]

Nina's Expression: Nina wrote the expression: \[ \frac{3}{4}(1440) + 295.25 + (-33.50) \] Let's simplify that:

1. Calculate \(\frac{3}{4}(1440)\): \(\frac{3}{4} \times 1440 = 1080\)

2. Add it to the food sales: \[ 1080 + 295.25 + (-33.50) = 1080 + 295.25 - 33.50 = 1080 + 261.75 = 1341.75 \]

So, while the method of using the expression can be misleading due to the way it combines values, if we take the steps into consideration, the correct total is indeed reflected in Nina's expression.

Thus, Nina's expression correctly finds today's total sales, even though it might seem unconventional at first glance. So, yes, she is correct.