While organizing his bookshelf, Michael noticed that he had 8 more science-fiction novels than spy novels. If he owns 26 science-fiction and spy novels, how many of each type of novel does he own? Explain how you found your solution.
s = spy novels
s + s + 8 = 26
Thank you (:
You're welcome.
To solve this problem, we can use a system of equations. Let's say Michael owns x spy novels and y science-fiction novels.
From the information given in the problem, we know that:
1) x + y = 26 (since Michael owns a total of 26 novels)
2) y = x + 8 (since Michael has 8 more science-fiction novels than spy novels)
We can solve this system of equations by substituting the second equation into the first equation:
x + (x + 8) = 26
2x + 8 = 26
2x = 26 - 8
2x = 18
x = 18 / 2
x = 9
Now, substitute the value of x back into the second equation to find y:
y = x + 8
y = 9 + 8
y = 17
So, Michael owns 9 spy novels and 17 science-fiction novels.