The school department made $2,142 on ticket sales for the three nights of their play. the department sold the same number of tickets each night and each ticket cost $7. how many tickets did the theater department sell each night?

Hello! So first let's write this word problem as an equation. $2,142 = (7x)3

In this equation, 7x represents $7 times the number of tickets sold in one night. Since the same amount were bought over three nights, you can just multiple the total of 7x by 3. 

To solve, first divide $2,142 by 3, which gives you $714. That means each night, the school made $714. Next divide $714 by $7 to see how many exact tickets were sold.  This gives you 102. That means, the theater department sold 102 tickets each night.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the homework!