Jesse and Amir were assigned the same book to read. Jesse started reading on Saturday, and he is reading 30 pages a day. Amir didn't start until Sunday, but he is reading 35 pages a day.
How many days will it take Amir to catch up to Jesse, and how many pages will they each have read?
Answer the questions to solve this problem using a system of equations.
1. Write an equation to represent the number of pages Amir has read. Use x to represent the number of days Amir has been reading and y to represent the number of pages he has read.
2. Write an equation to represent the number of pages Jesse has read.
Using x, the number of days Amir has been reading, write an expression to represent the number of days Jesse has been reading. Remember that Jesse started reading one day before Amir. Use this expression to write an equation for the number of pages Jesse has read. Let y represent the number of pages read.
3. Write the system of equations using your answers from questions 1 and 2.
4. You will use substitution to solve this system. Which variable will you substitute for and why? Show the equation that results from the substitution.
5. Solve the system of equations. Show your work.
6. Interpret your solution. How many days does it take Amir to catch Jesse? At that time, how many pages have they read?
Write your answer in the space below.
Answers
Answer:
6 days
210 pages
Step-by-step explanation:
As stipulated by the question, let the number of days Amir has been reading be x and the number of pages he had read to be y.
Now since he reads 35 pages per day.
Then mathematically;
y = 35x
For Jesse, He started reading a day before, this means that the number of days he had read would be x + 1. Since he reads 30 per day, the total number of pages he would have read is 30(x+1)
To find the number of days which is x, we have to assume that at a point in time, the number of books they would have read would be the same meaning that
Also; y = 30(x + 1)
Equating the two situations
35x = 30(x + 1)
35x = 30x + 30
35x -30x = 30
5x = 30
x = 30/5
x = 6 days
This means that it will take Amir 6 days to catch Jese.
The number of books they would have read by then is y = 35x = 30(x + 1)
= 35 * 6 or 30(6+1)
= 210