Question

Six teams, each with an equal number of players, have 78 players on the field. If the head coach asks for 2 players from each team to help move equipment, write and solve an algebraic equation for the number of players, p, on each team.

Answer 1

Using the equation p = 78 / 6, it is calculated that there are 13 players on each team. When 2 players per team are removed to help move equipment, 11 players per team remain on the field.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the number of players, p, on each team, we start with the total number of players (78) and divide this number by the number of teams (6). The algebraic equation representing this situation is p = 78 / 6. Before we solve for p, let's consider what happens when the head coach asks for 2 players from each team to help move equipment. This action does not affect the initial calculation for p because it occurs after the number of players on each team is determined.

Solving the equation p = 78 / 6 gives us the number of players on each team initially. Calculating this, we get p = 13. Hence, each team originally had 13 players. If two players from each team help move equipment, then each team would have 11 players remaining on the field.