The two largest oil spills together released 286 million gallons of oil into the oceans. The smaller of the two released 58 million gallons less than the larger of the two. How many million gallons did the larger one release?
x + y = 286
x = y - 58
You can now solve by substitution.
enter y -58 for the x value in the first equation.
Let's use algebra to solve this problem step-by-step.
Let x represent the number of million gallons released by the larger oil spill.
Since the smaller oil spill released 58 million gallons less than the larger spill, the amount released by the smaller spill can be expressed as (x - 58) million gallons.
The sum of the two spills is given as 286 million gallons, so we can set up the equation:
x + (x - 58) = 286
Simplifying the equation, we combine like terms:
2x - 58 = 286
Next, we isolate the variable:
2x = 286 + 58
2x = 344
To solve for x, we divide both sides by 2:
x = 344/2
x = 172
Therefore, the larger oil spill released 172 million gallons.
Let's denote the amount of oil released by the larger oil spill as "L" in million gallons.
According to the problem, the smaller oil spill released 58 million gallons less than the larger one. Therefore, the amount of oil released by the smaller spill is (L - 58) million gallons.
Given that the two spills together released a total of 286 million gallons of oil, we can write the following equation:
L + (L - 58) = 286
Combining like terms, we find:
2L - 58 = 286
Adding 58 to both sides of the equation:
2L = 344
Finally, dividing both sides of the equation by 2 gives us the value of L:
L = 172
Therefore, the larger oil spill released 172 million gallons of oil.