Leo planned to buy 18 toy cars, but his savings were $8 short of the total price. He bought 12 toy cars and had $4 left.
- How much money did Leo have at first?
Need a hint?
Compare the cars Leo bought with the cars he still needed. The money he was short and the money he had left together pay for the cars he did not buy.
Worked answer
- Cars not bought: 18 − 12 = 6.
- The 6 cars not bought cost $8 + $4 = $12, so one car costs $12 ÷ 6 = $2.
- Leo's starting savings: 18 × $2 − $8 = $28.
The mistake this question tests
Calculation slip
A common mistake is to divide $8 + $4 by all 18 cars instead of the cars Leo did not buy. Another is to calculate the full cost of all the cars without subtracting the $8 shortfall.
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