Question

Quinzel and Joseph sell shoes. Last month Quinzel sold 18 less pairs

of shoes than Joseph. Together they sold 52 pairs. How many pairs
of shoes did Quinzel sell?

Answer 1

Quinzel sold 17 pairs of shoes last month.

Explanation:

Let be "Q" the number of pairs of shoes Quinzel sold last month and "J" the number of pairs of shoes Joseph sold last month.

Set up a system of equations:

`\left \{ {{Q=J-18} \atop {Q+J=52} \right.`

Solve for "J" from the first equation:

`J=Q+18`

Applying the Substitution Method, you get:

`Q+J=52\\\\Q+(Q+18)=52\\\\2Q=52-18\\\\Q=(34)/(2) \\\\Q=17`