Question

Your goal is to save enough money to purchase a new portable DVD player costing \(\$ 190 .\) In the past 5 weeks, you have saved $\$ 40, \$ 25, \$ 50, \$ 35,\( and \)\$ 20$ a. Write an equation that relates your savings to the cost of the DVD player, using a letter for the dollar amount you still need to save. b. Solve your equation to determine the amount you still need to save.

Short answer

Answer: The student still needs to save $20.

Step-by-step solution

Calculate the total amount saved

Add up the savings from each week: \(\$40 + \$25 + \$50 + \$35 + \$20 = \$170\)

Write the equation

Let "x" represent the amount of money still needed to save to reach the goal of \(\$190\). The equation will be: \(170 + x = 190\)

Solve the equation for x

To solve for x, subtract 170 from both sides of the equation: \(x = 190 - 170\)

Find the amount still needed

Calculate the value of x from the equation in step 3: \(x = 20\) The student still needs to save \(\$20\) to purchase the portable DVD player.