Ms. Bryand is purchasing two different types of ornaments for her Christmas tree. The star shaped Christmas snowman ornaments each cost $3, and the Christmas balls each cost $4. If Ms. Bryand buys 10 new ornaments and spends a total of $36, how many of each type of ornament did she buy?

Define two variables

Write two equations

She will buy 6 Christmas balls and 4 star shaped Christmas snowmen

Step-by-step explanation:

Let s = star shaped Christmas snowman

and let b = Christmas ball

We know that each snowman will cost $3, so therefore it will be 3s and each ball will equal $4, resulting in 4b

Thus the equation would be 36 = 3s + 4b

and s + b = 10

Solve for one so s = 10 - b and plug it into the other equation

36 = 3 (10 - b) + 4b

36 = 30 - 3b + 4b

36 = 30 + b

6 = b

Plug b into one of the equations to solve for s

s + 6 = 10

s = 4