Question

Heather, Eric, and Chang sent a total of 116 text messages over their cell phones during the weekend. Chang sent 3 times as many messages as Eric. Eric sent 9 more messages than Heather. How many messages did they each send?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Declaration

Let Heather's number of messages = x

Let Eric's number of messages = x + 9

Let Chang's number of messages = 3(x +9)

Equation

x + x + 9 + 3(x + 9) = 116

Solution

x + x + 9 + 3(x + 9) = 116 Remove the brackets

x + x + 9 + 3x + 27 = 116 Combine like terms

x + x + 3x + 9 + 27 = 116

5x + 36 = 116 Subtract 36 from both sides

5x + 36 - 36 = 116 - 36 Combine

5x = 80 Divide both sides by 5

5x/5 = 80/5

x = 16

Answer

Heather = 16

Eric = 16 + 9 = 25

Chang = 3*25 = 75