Jesse and Larry entered a pie eating contest. Jesse ate 5 less than twice as many pies as Larry. They ate a total of 16 pies. How many pies did each eat.
L = Larry
L + (2L - 5) = 16
3L = 21
L - 7
To solve this problem, let's assign some variables:
Let's say that Larry ate x pies.
According to the problem, Jesse ate 5 less than twice as many pies as Larry, which can be expressed as: 2x - 5.
We also know that they ate a total of 16 pies, so we can write the equation:
x + (2x - 5) = 16
Now, let's solve for x:
Combining like terms:
3x - 5 = 16
Adding 5 to both sides:
3x = 21
Dividing both sides by 3:
x = 7
Therefore, Larry ate 7 pies.
To find out how many pies Jesse ate, we substitute x with 7 in the expression 2x - 5:
2(7) - 5 = 14 - 5 = 9
Therefore, Jesse ate 9 pies.
So, Larry ate 7 pies, and Jesse ate 9 pies.