Based on The census state a has 15 fewer electoral votes for president Than b. if the total number of electoral votes for these two states is 87 find the number for each state X represents the number of electoral votes in state b. Then let X -15 represents the number of electoral votes for state a. How do I finish this
the states added together (total) is 87
X + X - 15 = 87
To find the number of electoral votes for each state, we can set up an equation based on the given information.
Let's denote the number of electoral votes for state b as X. Since state a has 15 fewer electoral votes than state b, we can represent the number of electoral votes for state a as (X - 15).
The total number of electoral votes for both states is given as 87. So, we can set up the equation:
X + (X - 15) = 87
Now, let's solve the equation:
2X - 15 = 87 (combining like terms)
2X = 87 + 15 (adding 15 to both sides)
2X = 102
Now, we can solve for X by dividing both sides of the equation by 2:
X = 102/2
X = 51
Therefore, state b has 51 electoral votes.
To find the number of electoral votes for state a, substitute the value of X back into the equation:
(X - 15) = (51 - 15) = 36
Therefore, state a has 36 electoral votes.
So, the number of electoral votes for state b is 51, and the number of electoral votes for state a is 36.