During the 111th Congress (beginning in 2009), the U.S. Senate had a total of 98 Democrats and Republicans. There were 14 fewer Republicans than Democrats. How many Democrats and Republicans were there in the Senate.
Let's say the number of Democrats in the Senate was D.
Since there were 14 fewer Republicans than Democrats, the number of Republicans in the Senate was D - 14.
The total number of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate was D + (D - 14) = 98.
Combining like terms, we get 2D - 14 = 98.
Adding 14 to both sides, we get 2D = 112.
Dividing both sides by 2, we get D = 56.
The number of Republicans in the Senate was D - 14 = 56 - 14 = <<56-14=42>>42.
Therefore, there were 56 Democrats and 42 Republicans in the Senate. Answer: \boxed{56, 42}.
Let's solve this step-by-step.
Let's call the number of Democrats in the Senate "D" and the number of Republicans "R".
According to the problem, we know that the total number of Democrats and Republicans is 98:
D + R = 98 ...(equation 1)
We also know that there were 14 fewer Republicans than Democrats:
R = D - 14 ...(equation 2)
To find the values of D and R, we can solve this system of equations.
From equation 2, we can rewrite it as:
D = R + 14 ...(equation 3)
Now substitute equation 3 into equation 1:
(R + 14) + R = 98
Combine like terms:
2R + 14 = 98
Subtract 14 from both sides:
2R = 84
Divide both sides by 2:
R = 42
Now substitute the value of R back into equation 3:
D = 42 + 14
D = 56
Therefore, there were 56 Democrats and 42 Republicans in the Senate during the 111th Congress.
To solve this problem, let's break it down into steps:
Step 1: Set up the problem
Let's assume the number of Democrats in the Senate is represented by "D" and the number of Republicans by "R". We are given that in the 111th Congress, the total number of senators is 98, and the number of Republicans is 14 fewer than the number of Democrats.
Step 2: Write equations based on the given information
We know that the total number of senators is the sum of Democrats and Republicans. Therefore, we can write the equation: D + R = 98.
We are also given that the number of Republicans is 14 fewer than Democrats. So, we can write the equation: R = D - 14.
Step 3: Solve the system of equations
We can use the second equation to express R in terms of D: R = D - 14. Now we can substitute this into the first equation: D + (D - 14) = 98.
Simplifying the equation, we get: 2D - 14 = 98.
Add 14 to both sides: 2D = 112.
Finally, divide both sides by 2: D = 56.
Step 4: Calculate the number of Republicans
Using the equation R = D - 14, substitute D with 56: R = 56 - 14.
Simplifying, we get R = 42.
Therefore, in the 111th Congress, there were 56 Democrats and 42 Republicans in the U.S. Senate.