Mrs. Thomas had $135 to purchase science supplies for her lab. She bought 32 pounds of soil and 32 boxes of cotton balls. Each pound of soil was $1.40, including tax, Each box of cotton balls cost $0.59, including tax. How much money did Mrs. Thomas have after her purchases?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine how much money Mrs. Thomas has left after her purchases, we need to calculate the total cost of the soil and cotton balls and then subtract that from her initial amount of $135.
Step 1: Calculate the cost of the soil
Mrs. Thomas bought 32 pounds of soil, and the cost per pound is $1.40. Therefore, the total cost for the soil is calculated as follows:
[
\text{Cost of Soil} = \text{Number of Pounds} \times \text{Cost per Pound}
]
[
\text{Cost of Soil} = 32 \, \text{pounds} \times 1.40 \, \text{dollars/pound} = 44.80 \, \text{dollars}
]
Step 2: Calculate the cost of the cotton balls
Next, we need to find out how much Mrs. Thomas spent on cotton balls. She bought 32 boxes, with each box costing $0.59. The total cost for the cotton balls is:
[
\text{Cost of Cotton Balls} = \text{Number of Boxes} \times \text{Cost per Box}
]
[
\text{Cost of Cotton Balls} = 32 \, \text{boxes} \times 0.59 \, \text{dollars/box} = 18.88 \, \text{dollars}
]
Step 3: Calculate the total cost
Now, we add the costs of the soil and cotton balls to find the total expenditure:
[
\text{Total Cost} = \text{Cost of Soil} + \text{Cost of Cotton Balls}
]
[
\text{Total Cost} = 44.80 \, \text{dollars} + 18.88 \, \text{dollars} = 63.68 \, \text{dollars}
]
Step 4: Calculate the remaining money
To find out how much money Mrs. Thomas has left after her purchases, we subtract the total cost from her initial amount:
[
\text{Remaining Money} = \text{Initial Amount} – \text{Total Cost}
]
[
\text{Remaining Money} = 135 \, \text{dollars} – 63.68 \, \text{dollars} = 71.32 \, \text{dollars}
]
Conclusion
After purchasing 32 pounds of soil and 32 boxes of cotton balls, Mrs. Thomas has $71.32 remaining. This calculation illustrates how to effectively manage a budget by accounting for the costs of individual items and understanding the impact of spending on the overall available funds. Proper tracking of expenses is crucial for anyone looking to stay within a budget, especially when preparing for purchases in settings like educational laboratories.