Final answer:
To solve this problem, set up a system of equations using 'v' as the number of victories and 'l' as the number of losses. Substitute the first equation into the second equation, simplify and solve for 'l'. Substitute the value of 'l' back into the first equation to find the total number of games.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we can set up a system of equations. Let's use the variable 'v' to represent the number of victories and 'l' to represent the number of losses. We are given two pieces of information:
1. At the end of the season, the Phoenix Mercury had 12 more victories than losses: v = l + 12.
2. The number of victories they had was one more than two times the number of losses: v = 2l + 1.
We can solve this system by substituting the first equation into the second equation:
- Substitute v = l + 12 into the second equation: l + 12 = 2l + 1.
- Combine like terms: 12 - 1 = 2l - l. Simplify this to: 11 = l.
- Substitute l = 11 back into the first equation to solve for v: v = 11 + 12 = 23.
Therefore, the Phoenix Mercury played a total of 23 regular season games during that season.