Final answer:
Debra, Bill, and Michael have $88 in total. By creating equations based on their relationships and solving them, we find Debra has $16, Bill has $24, and Michael has $48. Therefore, Option B is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves solving a system of linear equations to find out how much money Debra, Bill, and Michael each have when their total is $88. This type of problem is common in algebra and mathematics. Let us denote Debra's amount as D, Bill's amount as B, and Michael's amount as M. According to the problem, Michael has 3 times what Debra has (M = 3D) and Bill has $8 more than Debra (B = D + $8). The total amount they have is $88 (D + B + M = $88).
Using substitution, we can solve for D:
- D + (D + $8) + 3D = $88
- 5D + $8 = $88
- 5D = $80
- D = $16
Using the value of D, we can now find B and M:
- B = D + $8 = $16 + $8 = $24
- M = 3D = 3($16) = $48
So, Debra has $16, Bill has $24, and Michael has $48. The correct answer is Option B.