Marco is reconstructing his expenses for the past two weeks. Here are the records of his expenses:
| Transaction | Cost ($) |
| :---------- | :------- |
| T-shirt | 20 |
| Gas | 22 |
| Movie | 13 |
| Video game | 39 |
| Jeans | 34 |
| Hat | 15 |
| Books | 31 |
Marco's bank statement says that he has an ending balance of $81. What is Marco's starting balance?
A. $255
B. $93
C. $174
D. $210
Answer (1)
Calculate the total expenses: 20 + 22 + 13 + 39 + 34 + 15 + 31 = 174 .
Add the total expenses to the ending balance to find the starting balance: 81 + 174 = 255 .
Marco's starting balance is $255 .
The answer is $255 .
Explanation
Problem Analysis Let's analyze the problem. We are given Marco's expenses and his ending bank balance. We need to find his starting bank balance. The starting balance can be found by adding up all the expenses to the ending balance.
Calculating Total Expenses First, we need to calculate the total expenses. We sum up all the costs: 20 + 22 + 13 + 39 + 34 + 15 + 31 = 174 So, Marco's total expenses are $174.
Calculating Starting Balance Now, we know that the ending balance is $81. To find the starting balance, we add the total expenses to the ending balance: St a r t in g B a l an ce = E n d in g B a l an ce + T o t a lE x p e n ses St a r t in g B a l an ce = 81 + 174 = 255 Therefore, Marco's starting balance is $255.
Final Answer The starting balance is $255, which corresponds to option 'a'.
Examples
Imagine you are managing your monthly budget. You know how much money you have at the end of the month and you have a list of all your expenses. To find out how much money you started with at the beginning of the month, you simply add up all your expenses and add that total to your ending balance. This is exactly the same calculation we did to find Marco's starting balance.
