Amy purchased 17 pencils and 18 pens for a fund-raiser at school and spent $61.50. jocelyn purchased 10 pencils and 21 pens and spent $57. how much does each pencil cost?

Let,
pencils be "x"
pens be "y"

According to the question,
17x + 18y = 61.50   ----------> equation (1)
10x + 21y = 57 -----------------> equation (2)

Now,
Taking equation (1),
17x + 18y = 61.50
         18y = 61.50 - 17x
            y = (61.50 - 17x ) / 18 -----> equation (3)

Now, substituting the value of "y" in equation (2), we get,























Now,
Substituting the value of "x" in equation (3), we get,











  approx. (rounded)

So, Each pencil costs $1.5 and each pen costs $2.