Question

Your math teacher is currently thinking about two mysterious numbers The sum of the first and second numbers is 8. The difference of the numbers is 4. What are the two numbers? Explain how you got your answer.

Answer 1

Using a system of equations with two variables based on the sum and difference provided, we can determine the two mysterious numbers to be 6 and 2.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the mysterious numbers that your math teacher is thinking about, we need to set up two equations based on the given information. The sum of the first and second numbers is 8, and the difference of the numbers is 4. Using algebra, we can represent the first number as x and the second number as y, leading us to the system of equations:

• x + y = 8
• x - y = 4

By adding the two equations together, we get:

2x = 12

Dividing both sides by 2 gives us the first number:

x = 6

Substituting x = 6 into the first equation, we find the second number:

6 + y = 8

y = 8 - 6

y = 2

Therefore, the two numbers are 6 and 2.