Question

A toy store is selling bicycles and tricycles which must all be assembled before putting them out on the display floor. The store manager takes a look at the assembly room but all he can see are 40 tires. He knows there are 17 bicycles and tricycles. How many bicycles are there?

Answer 1

To find the number of bicycles, set up a system of equations using the number of wheels and the total number of bicycles and tricycles. Solve the equations simultaneously to find the number of bicycles.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the number of bicycles, we can set up a system of equations using the information given in the problem. Let's use the variables 'b' for the number of bicycles and 't' for the number of tricycles. Since each bicycle and tricycle has 2 and 3 tires respectively, we can write the equation 2b + 3t = 40 (total number of tires).

Given that there are 17 bicycles and tricycles combined, we can also write the equation b + t = 17.

By solving these two equations simultaneously, we can determine the number of bicycles.

Substituting b = 17 - t into the first equation, we have 2(17 - t) + 3t = 40. Simplifying this equation gives 34 - 2t + 3t = 40. Combining like terms, we get t = 6. Plugging this value back into b + t = 17, we find b = 17 - 6 = 11.

There are 11 bicycles in the store.