Expand your horizons with the diverse and informative answers found on IDNLearn.com. Our community is here to provide detailed and trustworthy answers to any questions you may have.

Ben asked his 19 classmates whether they were right handed or left-handed. There were five more right handed classmates than left handed classmates. Write a system of equations that can be used to determine how many of Ben’s classmates were right and left handed.

Sagot :

Answer:

left handed = 7 ; right handed = 12

Step-by-step explanation:

r = right handed

l = left handed

r + l = 19

r = l + 5

If we use substitution method we have:

l +5 + l = 19

2 l = 14

l = 7

r = 7 + 5 = 12

Answers:

The system of equations is

[tex]\begin{cases}y = x-5\\x+y = 19\end{cases}[/tex]

where x and y is the number of right-handed and left-handed people respectively.

The system solves to (x,y) = (12,7)

Interpretation:

There are  12   right-handed people and  7   left-handed people in the class.

=========================================================

Explanation:

x = number of right-handed people

y = number of left-handed people

x and y are positive whole numbers.

There are 5 more right-handed people compared to left-handed people, so we can say x = y+5 which is the same as y = x-5. So you could go for either equation. Let's go for the one where y is isolated.

The second equation to form is x+y = 19 because there are 19 people in the class, and you can only be one or the other (left-handed or right-handed but not both). I'm not considering the possibility anyone is ambidextrous though of course that may happen in a realistic setting.

The two equations then form the system

[tex]\begin{cases}y = x-5\\x+y = 19\end{cases}[/tex]

There are a number of ways we can solve this system. Substitution is possibly the quickest way.

x+y = 19

x+(x-5) = 19 ... replace y with x-5; due to the first equation

2x-5 = 19

2x = 19+5

2x = 24

x = 24/2

x = 12 .... this is the number of right-handed people

y = x-5

y = 12-5

y = 7 .... this is the number of left-handed people

We appreciate your contributions to this forum. Don't forget to check back for the latest answers. Keep asking, answering, and sharing useful information. IDNLearn.com provides the best answers to your questions. Thank you for visiting, and come back soon for more helpful information.