The Pleasant Stone Mall charges customers by the minute to use the parking lot. When Zack visited the mall on Monday, he parked for 68 minutes and spent $34 shopping in the mall. When he went on Thursday, he parked for 143 minutes and spent $31 shopping in the mall. That night, he realized he spent the same total amount on parking and shopping each day.
What is the per-minute cost of parking at the mall?

Let's denote the per-minute cost of parking at the mall as $ p $.

We know that on both days, Zack spent the same total amount on parking and shopping.

### Monday:
- Zack parked for 68 minutes.
- The cost for parking on Monday is $ 68p $.
- He spent $34 shopping.

So, the total cost on Monday is:
\[
68p + 34
\]

### Thursday:
- Zack parked for 143 minutes.
- The cost for parking on Thursday is $ 143p $.
- He spent $31 shopping.

So, the total cost on Thursday is:
\[
143p + 31
\]

Since the total costs on Monday and Thursday are equal, we have:
\[
68p + 34 = 143p + 31
\]

### Solving for $ p $:
1. Subtract $ 68p $ from both sides:
   \[
   34 = 75p + 31
   \]

2. Subtract 31 from both sides:
   \[
   3 = 75p
   \]

3. Divide both sides by 75:
   \[
   p = \frac{3}{75} = \frac{1}{25}
   \]

Therefore, the per-minute cost of parking is $ \frac{1}{25} $ dollars, or **$0.04** per minute.

Would you like further details or explanations?

### Related Questions:
1. What would be the cost if Zack parked for 100 minutes?
2. How much would Zack spend on parking if he visited the mall for only 30 minutes?
3. What is the total amount spent by Zack on both days combined?
4. If the parking rate increased by 10%, what would the new per-minute cost be?
5. How many minutes could Zack park if he had only $5 for parking?

**Tip:** When solving problems involving equality, equate the expressions for both scenarios and solve for the unknown variable step by step.

Learn how to calculate the per-minute parking cost at Pleasant Stone Mall with a detailed step-by-step solution. Zack's parking expenses are analyzed based on his shopping costs over two visits, leading to the determination of the per-minute parking rate. Suitable for students in Grades 7-9.

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