How to Solve Maria's Strawberry Purchase Puzzle: A Detailed Guide

Maria's purchase puzzle can be a great way to apply mathematical concepts to real-life scenarios. In this guide, we'll walk through how Maria managed her money and provide a detailed solution.

Understanding the Problem

Maria spent a fifth of the money in her wallet on her first purchase. From the remaining money, she could buy 2 kg of strawberries. However, she only bought 1.5 kg of strawberries for ￡0.60. The question is, how much money did Maria originally have in her wallet?

Step-by-Step Solution

Identifying Key Information

Maria spent a fifth of her total money on her first purchase. With the remaining money, she could have bought 2 kg of strawberries. She actually bought 1.5 kg of strawberries for ￡0.60.

Formulating the Problem with Algebra

Let's denote the total amount of money Maria originally had as ( M ) in pounds (￡).

Calculating the Remaining Money After the First Purchase

Maria spent a fifth of her money on the first purchase. Therefore, she spent ( frac{M}{5} ) pounds.

The remaining money after this purchase is:

( text{Remaining money} M - frac{M}{5} frac{4M}{5} )

Determining the Price Per Kilogram of Strawberries

Maria bought 1.5 kg of strawberries for ￡0.60. To find the price per kilogram, we calculate:

( text{Price per kg} frac{0.60}{1.5} 0.40 ) pounds per kg

Calculating the Total Cost for 2 kg of Strawberries

The cost for 2 kg of strawberries at the price of ￡0.40 per kg would be:

( text{Cost for 2 kg} 2 times 0.40 0.80 ) pounds

Relating the Remaining Money to the Total Money

Since the remaining money after the first purchase could buy 2 kg of strawberries, we have:

( frac{4M}{5} 0.80 )

Solving for ( M ):

( 4M 0.80 times 5 )

( 4M 4 )

( M 1 )

Maria originally had ￡1 in her wallet.

Accessibility Tips for Readers

To ensure the content is accessible for all readers, include alt text for images, use headings to break up the text, and provide a table of contents. Additionally, ensure the content is easy to navigate and includes relevant vocabulary.

Conclusion

Solving Maria's strawberry purchase puzzle involves a series of logical steps and application of basic mathematical concepts. By understanding the problem and breaking it down, we can easily determine how much money Maria originally had in her wallet.