Question

Challenge The members of the city cultural center have decided to put on a play once a night for a
week. Their auditorium holds 600 people. By selling tickets, the members would like to raise $2,700
every night to cover all expenses. Let d represent the number of adult tickets sold at $6.50. Let s
represent the number of student tickets sold at $3.50 each. If all 600 seats are filled for a
performance, how many of each type of ticket must have been sold for the members raise exactly
$2,700? At one performance there were three times as many student tickets sold as adult tickets. If
there were 480 tickets sold at that performance, how much below the goal of $2,700 did ticket sales
fall?
The members sold adult tickets and
student tickets.

Answer 1

To answer the first question, we have these two equations:

x + y = 500 and 7.5x + 4.5y = 2550

We can use substitution to solve for x and then plug it back into any equation and find y.

y = 500 - x

7.5x + 4.5 (500 - x) = 2550

7.5x + 2250 - 4.5x = 2550

3x = 300

x = 100 adults

100 + y = 500 → y = 400 students

To answer your second question, we have two new equations:

2x = y (This may be confusing, but since there were more student tickets sold, it is the larger number.)

x + y = 300

We can rewrite the first equation and add them together:

2x - y = 0

x + y = 300

3x = 300

x = 100 adults

100 + y = 300 y = 200 students

The money earned from these 300 people is 100 * 7.5 + 200 * 4.5 = 750 + 900 = $1650.

$2550 - $1650 = $900

The 300 tickets sold had a $900 fall in ticket sales.

Hope this helps!