Question

The larger of two numbers is three times the smaller number. If the greater number is decreased by 12, the result is 6 more than the smaller. Find the numbers.

Answer 1

To solve this problem, let x represent the smaller number, and 3x represent the larger number. The equation can then be written as 3x - 12 = x + 6. Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives 2x - 12 = 6, and adding 12 to both sides gives 2x = 18. Dividing both sides by 2 gives x = 9. Therefore, the smaller number is 9 and the larger number is 27.