Question

"Spanish River High School surveyed its students about their favorite color. The 487 students who listed blue as their favorite color represented 17

fewer than three times the number of students who listed silver as their
favorite color. Write an equation for this word problem."

Answer 1

The equation for this word problem is 487 = 3(168) - 17.

Step-by-step explanation:

To write an equation for this word problem, we need to start by assigning variables to the unknowns. Let's say x represents the number of students who listed silver as their favorite color. According to the problem, the 487 students who listed blue as their favorite color represents 17 fewer than three times the number of students who listed silver as their favorite color. This can be written as:

487 = 3x - 17

To solve for x, we can add 17 to both sides of the equation:

504 = 3x

Then, we can divide both sides of the equation by 3 to isolate x:

x = 168

So, the equation for this word problem is:

487 = 3(168) - 17

or

487 = 504 - 17