In a math contest each team is asked 50 questions. The team earns 15 points for each correct answer and loses 8 for each incorrect answer. One team finished with 566 points. How many questions id the team answer correctly?
correct answers --- x
wrong answers ---- 50-x
15x - 8(50-x) = 566
solve for x
(I got x = 42)
To solve this problem, we can use algebra. Let's denote the number of questions the team answered correctly as "x."
Since each correct answer is worth 15 points and each incorrect answer deducts 8 points, we can set up the following equation:
15x - 8(50 - x) = 566
Let's simplify that equation:
15x - 8 * 50 + 8x = 566
15x - 400 + 8x = 566
23x - 400 = 566
23x = 966
x = 966/23
x ≈ 42
Therefore, the team answered approximately 42 questions correctly.