My second grader brought home this math problem for which I can find no solution. The sum of two numbers is 21. One number is two more than the other. What are the two numbers?
x+y = 21
x = y + 2
2y + 2 = 21
y = 19/2
x = 23/2
This is for a second grader. He only works in WHOLE numbers still. I believe this was a mistake on the teachers' part. Should have been "one number is 3 more than the other", I think.
Thank you for your help.
y = 9
x = 12
To solve this math problem, let's break it down step by step.
1. Let's call one of the numbers "x" and the other number "y."
2. We know that the sum of the two numbers is 21. This can be written as an equation: x + y = 21.
3. We're also given that one number is two more than the other. This can be written as another equation: x = y + 2.
Now, we have a system of two equations:
Equation 1: x + y = 21
Equation 2: x = y + 2
To solve this system of equations, we can use the substitution method or the elimination method.
Let's use the substitution method:
1. Start with Equation 2: x = y + 2.
2. Substitute the value of x in Equation 1 with (y + 2): (y + 2) + y = 21.
3. Simplify the equation: 2y + 2 = 21.
4. Subtract 2 from both sides of the equation: 2y = 19.
5. Divide both sides of the equation by 2: y = 9.5.
Now that we have the value of y, we can substitute it back into Equation 2 to find x:
x = y + 2 = 9.5 + 2 = 11.5.
Therefore, the two numbers are 9.5 and 11.5.