Question

Bill and Ted earned a total of $65 babysitting during the month of November. Bill earned $5 more than 1/2 of what Ted earned. How much did they each earn?

Answer 1

By setting up algebraic equations from the information provided, it was determined that Bill earned $25 and Ted earned $40.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve how much Bill and Ted each earned, we need to set up an algebraic equation based on the information given. Let's use T to represent the amount Ted earned and B to represent what Bill earned. We know from the question that Bill earned '$5 more than 1/2 of what Ted earned,' so we can express this as B = (1/2)T + 5. Additionally, we know that together they earned a total of $65, so we can write the second equation as B + T = 65.

Now we will solve these equations simultaneously:

1. Substitute the expression for B from the first equation into the second equation to get (1/2)T + 5 + T = 65.
2. Combine like terms to get (3/2)T + 5 = 65.
3. Subtract 5 from both sides to get (3/2)T = 60.
4. Multiply both sides by 2/3 to isolate T and get T = 40.
5. Now that we know Ted earned $40, we substitute this back into the equation for B to get B = (1/2)(40) + 5, which simplifies to B = 20 + 5 = 25.

Therefore, Ted earned $40 and Bill earned $25.