An art supply store sells paint brushes in packages of 4 for $11.50 and easels for $130. cory has a gift card for $300. if he purchases 1 easel, how many paint brushes can be buy without exceeding the amount on his gift card?

Hello! The easel is $130, which is a one-time price. It is 11.50 for 4 paintbrushes. 11.50/4 is 2.875 or 2.88. We can write and solve an equation to find the answer to this problem. Set it up like this:

130 + 2.88x = 300

This is because it is about 2.88 per paintbrush, 130 is the fixed price, and we can't exceed $300. Subtract 130 from both sides to get 2.88x = 170. Now, divide each side by 11.50 to isolate the "x". 170/2.88 is 59.02777778 or 59 when rounded to the nearest whole number. Cory can buy 59 paintbrushes with his gift card.