At a track meet, competitors could win gold, silver or bronze medals. Kennedy High Schools track team won a total of 18 medals. Three of the medals were gold. There were twice as many bronze medals as silver medals. How many bronze medals did the track team win?
To find the number of bronze medals Kennedy High School's track team won, we can start by using the given information about the three types of medals:
1. The total number of medals won by the track team is 18.
2. The number of gold medals is 3.
3. The number of bronze medals is twice the number of silver medals.
Let's break down the problem step by step:
1. First, we know that the total number of medals is 18. So, we can write the equation: Gold medals + Silver medals + Bronze medals = 18.
2. We are given that the number of gold medals is 3. Substituting this value into the equation, we get: 3 + Silver medals + Bronze medals = 18.
3. We know that the number of bronze medals is twice the number of silver medals. We can represent this relationship as: Bronze medals = 2 * Silver medals.
4. Substituting this expression for Bronze medals into the previous equation: 3 + Silver medals + 2 * Silver medals = 18.
5. Combining like terms, we simplify the equation: 3 + 3 * Silver medals = 18.
6. Subtracting 3 from both sides of the equation: 3 * Silver medals = 15.
7. Dividing both sides of the equation by 3: Silver medals = 5.
Now that we know the number of silver medals is 5, we can find the number of bronze medals, as it is twice the number of silver medals:
Bronze medals = 2 * Silver medals = 2 * 5 = 10.
Therefore, the track team won a total of 10 bronze medals.