Alice and betty each want to buy the same kind of ruler. but alice is 22 cents short and betty is 3 cents short. when they combine their money they still do not have enough money. what is the most the ruler could cost?

The rule could cost 24 cents at most.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x cents be the price of the ruler.

Alice is 22 cents short, so Alice has x - 22 cents.

Betty is 3 cents short, so Betty has x - 3 cents.

When they combine their money they have

x - 22 + x - 3 = 2x - 25 cents.

This amount is still not enough, so

Solve this inequality:

The rule could cost 24 cents at most.

-2

7 - 9 = -2

reversed:

-2 + 9 = 7