To determine how many pens can be purchased for 50 cents, we first need to find the cost of one pen.
If 100 pens cost x dollars, then the cost of one pen can be calculated by dividing the total cost by the number of pens:
Cost of one pen = x / 100 dollars
Now, we want to find out how many pens can be bought for 50 cents. We need to convert 50 cents into dollars:
50 cents = 0.50 dollars
Next, we divide the amount we have (0.50 dollars) by the cost of one pen:
Number of pens = 0.50 / (x / 100)
This can be simplified to:
Number of pens = (0.50 * 100) / x
Thus, the number of pens that can be purchased for 50 cents is:
Number of pens = 50 / x
In conclusion, if you know the value of x, you can easily calculate how many pens you can buy for 50 cents using the formula above.