To solve this problem, we'll set up an equation where the number of ear buds sold is represented by \( x \). The price of each ear bud is given as $17, and the total sales amount is $731.
The equation representing the total sales is:
\[ 17 \times x = 731 \]
Where:
- \( 17 \) is the price per ear bud.
- \( x \) is the number of ear buds sold.
- \( 731 \) is the total sales amount.
Our goal is to solve for \( x \). We can do this by dividing both sides of the equation by the price per ear bud.
Divide both sides by \( 17 \):
\[ \frac{17 \times x}{17} = \frac{731}{17} \]
The \( 17 \)'s on the left side of the equation cancel each other out, so we are left with:
\[ x = \frac{731}{17} \]
Now, divide \( 731 \) by \( 17 \):
\[ x = 43 \]
Thus, the company sold \( 43 \) ear buds.
To check our work, we can multiply the number of ear buds sold by the price per ear bud:
\[ 43 \times 17 = 731 \]
This confirms that our calculation is correct. The company sold \( 43 \) ear buds.
