Victoria, Wanda, and Yvonne went out for a meal together. When the bill came, they thought they would divide it equally between them. However, Yvonne admitted to having chosen more expensive dishes and noticed that her total was $3 more than the amount she would have paid if they split it equally.

If Victoria and Wanda's bills were $12 individually, how much was Yvonne's?

Yvonne's bill = $16.5

Step-by-step explanation:

let

Total of the bill = a

If they split the bill equally = a/3

Yvonne's bill = 3 + a/3

Victoria's bill = $12

Wanda's bill = $12

a = 3 + a/3 + 12 + 12

collect like terms

a - a/3 = 27

(3a - a) / 3 = 27

2a/3 = 27

cross multiply

2a = 81

divide both sides by 2

a = 81/2

a = 40.5

Yvonne's bill = 3 + a/3

Yvonne's bill = 3 + 40.5/3

Yvonne's bill = 3 + 13.5

Yvonne's bill = $16.5