I am so confused with some word problems math is not my strong point here is the problem if you know how to solve it please tell me how to solve but just don't give me the answer

Austin has 42 paperback books that are either Mysteries or science fiction. If he has 16 more Mysteries than science fiction books, how many mysteries does he have?

Let x be the number of mysteries. Then there will be x - 16 science fiction books.
Write
x + (x -16) = 2x - 16 = 42
which reduces to
2x = 58

Solve for x.

i don't know how you got that but i talked to a real tutor and 2x doesnt equal 58 it equals 26

youre right danielle; drwls made a slight mistake in his algebra; check the solution that i posted

M = MYSTERY BOOKS
S = SCIENCE BOOKS

M - 16 = S because he was 16 more mysteries than scifis.

M + S = 42 because he has a total of 42 mysteries and scifis

M + S = 42
M - 16 = S

M + (M - 16) = 42
M + M - 16 = 42
2M - 16 = 42
2M = 26
M = 13

To solve the problem, you can follow these steps:

1. Assign variables to the unknowns in the problem. In this case, let's use M for the number of mysteries and S for the number of science fiction books.

2. Use the given information to set up two equations.

- The first equation is M + S = 42, which represents the total number of books Austin has.

- The second equation is M - 16 = S, which represents the fact that Austin has 16 more mysteries than science fiction books.

3. Simplify and solve the equations.

- From the second equation, you can rewrite it as M = S + 16.

- Substitute this expression for M into the first equation, giving (S + 16) + S = 42.

- Simplify the equation: 2S + 16 = 42.

- Subtract 16 from both sides: 2S = 26.

- Divide both sides by 2: S = 13.

4. Determine the value of M.

- Now that you know S = 13, you can substitute this value back into one of the original equations to solve for M.

- Using the equation M = S + 16, you have M = 13 + 16 = 29.

So, Austin has 29 mystery books.