Matthew and May want to buy a birthday present for their mother. May has 3 times as much money as Matthew. The birthday present costs $50. After buying the birthday present,they have $70 left. How much money dose Matthew have at first?
Matt had x
May had 3x
4 x - 50 = 70
4 x = 120
x = 30
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check
Matt 30
May 3*30 = 90
sum = 120
120 = 50+70
Let's use variables to represent the amounts of money Matthew and May have.
Let x be the amount of money Matthew has.
Since May has 3 times as much money as Matthew, May has 3x.
The total amount of money they have is x + 3x = 4x.
After buying the birthday present, they have $70 left, so the equation becomes:
4x - 50 = 70
To solve for x, we will isolate x on one side of the equation:
4x = 70 + 50
4x = 120
Divide both sides of the equation by 4:
x = 120 / 4
x = 30
Therefore, Matthew has $30 at first.
To find out how much money Matthew has at first, we need to set up an equation based on the given information.
Let's say the amount of money Matthew has is M, and the amount of money May has is 3M (since May has 3 times the amount Matthew has).
According to the problem, they spent $50 on the birthday present. So, the amount of money they have left is M + 3M - 50.
We are told that they have $70 left, so we can set up the equation:
M + 3M - 50 = 70
Combining like terms, we get:
4M - 50 = 70
Adding 50 to both sides of the equation, we get:
4M = 120
Dividing both sides by 4, we find:
M = 30
Therefore, Matthew has $30 at first.