Question

Mr. Russell is going on a diet and wants to lose 5 pounds a month. He currently weighs 180 pounds.

a) Write and solve an equation to determine how many months he must diet if his goal weight is 145
pounds.

Answer 1

180-5m= 145, and it will take 7 months.

If the current weight is 180, you subtract 5m (m being the months), which equals 145 (the goal)

180-5m= 145

To isolate the variable:

First, you want to draw a line vertically through the equal sign separating both sides of the equation. Next, you will subtract 180 from BOTH sides of the equation your new equation would be -5m= -35. After this, you will divide BOTH sides of the equation by -5 (or the coefficient), and your new equation would be m=7. M is the # of months.

180-5m= 145

-5m= -35

m= 7

Answer 2

Let's denote the number of months Mr. Russell must diet as "m". Given that he wants to lose 5 pounds per month, we can set up the following equation:

180 - 5m = 145

To solve for "m," let's isolate the variable:

180 - 145 = 5m

35 = 5m

Now, divide both sides of the equation by 5:

35/5 = m

7 = m

Therefore, Mr. Russell must diet for 7 months to reach his goal weight of 145 pounds.