Answer:
30 hens, 20 cows.
Explanation:
Step one:
let the number of cows be x
and the number of hens be y
Each cow has 2 eyes, each hen has 2 eyes also.
the total number of eyes is
2x+2y
Each cow has 4 legs, each hen has 2 legs.
the total number of legs is
4x + 2y
Step two:
the number of legs exceeds the number of eyes by 40:
4x+2y - (2x+2y) = 40
open bracket
4x+2y-2x-2y=40
4x-2x=40
2x=40
Divide both sides by 2
x=40/2
x=20
Step three:
we know also that x = 2/3*y, so y = 3/2*x = 3/2 * 20 = 30
30 hens, 20 cows.
Check:
60 + 40 eyes = 100, 60 + 80 legs = 140legs.