Answer:
He buys 12 sodas and 4 bags of popcorn.
Step-by-step explanation:
Here, Â s represents the number of sodas and p represents the number of bags of popcorn bought.
Price of each soda = $ 1.50,
And, price of each bag of popcorn = $ 4.50,
So, the total spending = 1.50s + 4.50p  ( ∵ Total price = price of each unit × number of units )
According to the question,
1.50s + 4.50p = 36 Â Â Â Â ...... (1)
While, total items = s + p
Again, according to the question,
s + p = 16 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ...... (2)
Equation (1) - 1.50 × equation (2),
We get,
4.50p - 1.50p = 36 - 1.5 × 16
         3p = 36 - 24
         3p = 12
          p  = 4
From equation (2),
s + 4 = 16
   s = 16 - 4
   s = 12
Hence, he buys 12 sodas and 4 bags of popcorn.