PIGS HAVE 4 LEGS - CHICKENS HAVE 2 EACH ... IF YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF 50 LEGS ON 18 TOTAL ANIMALS HOW MANY CHICKENS AND HOW MANY ARE PIGS?
Let C=number of chickens and P=number of pigs
1. C+P=18
2. P=18-C (isolate a variable)
3. 2C+4P=50 (Each chicken has two legs, each pig has four legs, and adds up to 50 legs).
4. 2C+4(18-C)=50) Substitute 18-C for P because step 2 shows P=18-C.
2C+72-4C=50
72-2C=50
-2C= -22
C=11
this question was asked before I was born and its still being asked today LOL and btw @sarah is right
To determine the number of chickens and pigs, we can use a system of equations.
Let's represent the number of pigs as 'P' and the number of chickens as 'C'.
Since each pig has 4 legs and each chicken has 2 legs, we can write the equation for the total number of legs as:
4P + 2C = 50 (Equation 1)
We also know that the total number of animals is 18, so we can write another equation for the total number of animals:
P + C = 18 (Equation 2)
To solve the system of equations, we can use different methods like substitution or elimination.
Method 1: Substitution
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Rearrange Equation 2 to express one variable in terms of the other:
C = 18 - P
Substitute this expression for 'C' into Equation 1:
4P + 2(18 - P) = 50
Simplify and solve for 'P':
4P + 36 - 2P = 50
2P = 14
P = 7
Now substitute the value of 'P' back into Equation 2 to find 'C':
7 + C = 18
C = 18 - 7
C = 11
Therefore, there are 7 pigs and 11 chickens.
Method 2: Elimination
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Multiply Equation 2 by 2 to match the coefficient of 'C' with Equation 1:
2P + 2C = 36 (Equation 3)
Subtract Equation 3 from Equation 1:
4P + 2C = 50
- (2P + 2C = 36)
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2P = 14
Solve for 'P':
2P = 14
P = 7
Substitute the value of 'P' back into Equation 2 to find 'C':
7 + C = 18
C = 18 - 7
C = 11
Therefore, there are 7 pigs and 11 chickens.