Frank bought 3 phones for his two sisters and himself. They cost $50 each. He also purchased covers for each phone at $10 each. The store gave him a $40 rebate for buying multiple phones. Write an expression to represent the total amount Frank spent, and then calculate how much Frank spent. Press the Answer Button once you have your solution to check your work.
Let the variable P = cell phone cost, C = cover cost, R = amount of rebate. Since there are 3 phones and 3 covers, we can use parentheses to group them.
The expression can be written as 3(P+C) - R. Since there are 3 phones purchased, the price of the cell phone plus the cover is the cost for one person. That amount can be multiplied by 3. The rebate amount is subtracted from the total phone cost because Frank received one rebate, not one per phone.
Once the expression is written, it's time to evaluate it.
| 3(P + C) - R = | Substitute the values for the variables. |
| 3(50 + 10) - 40 = | Perform the operation inside the grouping symbol: add the numbers in parentheses. |
| 3(60) - 40 = | Multiply. |
| 180 - 40 = | Subtract. |
| 140 | The total cost for three phones is $140. |
