Problem of the Month: November 2021

This month, ACES students are practicing multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division word problems. Can you keep up? Celebrate the beginning of the NHL season and test your problem-solving skills with the November Problem of the Month!

A hockey helmet, hockey stick, and shoulder pads cost $420 in total. The helmet costs $100 more than the stick, and the stick costs $40 more than the shoulder pads. How much does each item cost?

Scroll down to see the solution.

Let X represent the cost of the shoulder pads. We know that the stick costs $40 more than the shoulder pads, which can be represented using the equation $40 + X. The helmet costs $100 more than the stick, which can be represented using the equation $100 + ($40 + X).

Helmet + Stick + Shoulder pads = ($100 + $40 + X) + ($40 + X) + X = $420

Rearranging the terms, we have $100 + $40 + $40 + X + X + X = $180 + 3X = $420

Simplifying, we see that 3X = $420 - $180 = $240.

Dividing each side of the equation by 3, we can solve for X, the cost of the shoulder pads. X = $240/3 = $80. Substituting $80 for X, we find the cost of each piece of gear.

Shoulder pads = $80

Stick = Shoulder pads + $40 = $80 + $40 = $120

Helmet = Stick + $100 = $120 + $100 = $220