Q: Jenny is planning her catering budget for her wedding. She's going to have 80 guests. 3 times as many guests want steak as chicken. If each steak entree costs $25 and each chicken entree costs $18, how much is the total catering budget?
A: Let s be the number of guests who want steak and c be the number who want chicken. We know that s + c = 80 and s = 3c. Substituting the second equation into the first equation, we get 3c + c = 80. Combining like terms, we get 4c = 80. Dividing both sides by 4, we get c = 20. Then multiply the number of guests who want chicken by the cost of each chicken entree: 20 guests * $18 / guest = $360. Then triple the number of guests who want chicken to find the number who want steak: 20 guests * 3 = 60 guests. Then multiply the number of guests who want steak by the cost of each steak entree: 60 guests * $25 / guest = $1500. Then add the cost of the steak and chicken entrees to find the total cost: $1500 + $360 = $1860. The answer is 1860.

Q: A man is trying to maximize the amount of money he saves each month. In particular, he is trying to decide between two different apartments. The first apartment costs $800 per month in rent and will cost an additional $260 per month in utilities. The second apartment costs $900 per month and will cost an additional $200 per month in utilities. The first apartment is slightly further from the man's work, and the man would have to drive 31 miles per day to get to work. The second apartment is closer, and the man would only have to drive 21 miles to get to work. According to the IRS, each mile a person drives has an average cost of 58 cents. If the man must drive to work 20 days each month, what is the difference between the total monthly costs of these two apartments after factoring in utility and driving-related costs (to the nearest whole dollar)?
A: The mileage cost for the first apartment will be 31 * 20 * 0.58 = $359.60. This makes the total monthly cost of the first apartment 359.60 + 800 + 260 = $1419.60. Similarly, the mileage cost for the second apartment will be 21 * 20 * 0.58 = $243.60. Thus, the total monthly cost of the second apartment is 243.60 + 900 + 200 = 1343.60. Therefore, the difference in total monthly costs is 1419.60 - 1343.60 = $76. The answer is 76.

Q: Mary sees a flock of ducks crossing the street. There are 2 ducks with 5 ducklings each, 6 ducks with 3 ducklings each, and 9 ducks with 6 ducklings each. How many ducks and ducklings are there total?
A:
First find the total number of ducklings the first two ducks have: 2 ducks * 5 ducklings / duck = 10 ducklings. Then find the total number of ducklings the next six ducks have: 6 ducks * 3 ducklings / duck = 18 ducklings. Then find the total number of ducklings the last 9 ducks have: 9 ducks * 6 ducklings / duck = 54 ducklings. Then add up all the ducks and ducklings to find the total number: 10 ducklings + 18 ducklings + 54 ducklings + 2 ducks + 6 ducks + 9 ducks = 99 ducks. The answer is 99.