Ryan earns $5 for each small dog he walks and $8 for each large dog he walks. Today he walked 8 dogs and made a total of $55. How many small dogs did Ryan walk?
Let the number of small dogs Ryan walked be x and the number of large dogs be y.
Given:
x + y = 8
5x + 8y = 55
From the first equation:
x = 8 - y
Substitute x in the second equation:
5(8 - y) + 8y = 55
40 - 5y + 8y = 55
3y = 15
y = 5
So, Ryan walked 5 large dogs.
Substitute y back into the first equation to find x:
x + 5 = 8
x = 3
Therefore, Ryan walked 3 small dogs.