chairmaine brought a desktop computer and a laptop computer. before finance charges, the laptop cost $350 less than the desktop. She paid for the computers using two different financing plans. for the desktop the interest rate was 7% per year, and the laptop it was 9.5% per year. the total finance charges for one year were $305. HOw much did each computer cost before finance charges?

To solve this problem, let's start by assigning variables to represent the cost of the desktop computer and the laptop computer.

Let D be the cost of the desktop computer.
Since the laptop cost $350 less than the desktop, the cost of the laptop can be represented as (D - $350).

Now, let's calculate the finance charges for each computer. For the desktop computer, the interest rate is 7% per year, and for the laptop computer, the interest rate is 9.5% per year.

The finance charges for the desktop computer can be calculated as (7/100) * D = 0.07D.
Similarly, the finance charges for the laptop computer can be calculated as (9.5/100) * (D - $350) = 0.095(D - $350).

According to the problem, the total finance charges for one year were $305. Therefore, we can set up the following equation:

0.07D + 0.095(D - $350) = $305

Now, let's solve the equation to find the value of D:

0.07D + 0.095D - 0.095($350) = $305
0.165D - $33.25 = $305
0.165D = $305 + $33.25
0.165D = $338.25
D = $338.25 ÷ 0.165
D ≈ $2050.91

So, the cost of the desktop computer before finance charges is approximately $2050.91.

To find the cost of the laptop computer, we can substitute the value of D into the expression (D - $350):

Laptop cost = $2050.91 - $350
Laptop cost ≈ $1700.91

Therefore, the cost of the desktop computer before finance charges is approximately $2050.91, and the cost of the laptop computer before finance charges is approximately $1700.91.