Get the information you need with the help of IDNLearn.com's extensive Q&A platform. Find in-depth and trustworthy answers to all your questions from our experienced community members.

Carrie spent [tex]$\frac{1}{4}$[/tex] of her allowance on a shirt, [tex]$\frac{1}{3}$[/tex] of her allowance on a skirt, and [tex]$\$[/tex]8[tex]$ on a belt. If she spent $[/tex]\[tex]$22$[/tex] in all, how much was Carrie's allowance?

Equation: [tex]$\frac{1}{4}a + \frac{1}{3}a + 8 = 22$[/tex]

Carrie's allowance was [tex]$\$[/tex]______.


Sagot :

To find out how much Carrie’s allowance was, we need to solve the equation given in terms of her allowance \( a \).

The equation provided is:
[tex]\[ \frac{1}{4}a + \frac{1}{3}a + 8 = 22 \][/tex]

### Step-by-Step Solution

1. Combine like terms involving \( a \):
First, we combine the fractions that involve \( a \). To do this, we need a common denominator. The least common multiple of 4 and 3 is 12.

Therefore, we convert the fractions:
[tex]\[ \frac{1}{4}a = \frac{1 \times 3}{4 \times 3}a = \frac{3}{12}a \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \frac{1}{3}a = \frac{1 \times 4}{3 \times 4}a = \frac{4}{12}a \][/tex]

Adding these fractions together:
[tex]\[ \frac{3}{12}a + \frac{4}{12}a = \frac{3 + 4}{12}a = \frac{7}{12}a \][/tex]

2. Rewriting the equation:
Substituting back into the original equation, we get:
[tex]\[ \frac{7}{12}a + 8 = 22 \][/tex]

3. Isolate \( a \):
To isolate \( a \), we first move the constant term (8) to the right side of the equation by subtracting 8 from both sides:
[tex]\[ \frac{7}{12}a = 22 - 8 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \frac{7}{12}a = 14 \][/tex]

4. Solve for \( a \):
To solve for \( a \), multiply both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of \( \frac{7}{12} \), which is \( \frac{12}{7} \):
[tex]\[ a = 14 \times \frac{12}{7} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ a = 14 \times \frac{12}{7} = 2 \times 12 = 24 \][/tex]

Therefore, Carrie's allowance was [tex]\(\$24\)[/tex].