Question

The Sharks Aquatic Club recently held a fundraiser to raise money for a local charity. The swimmers received money for each lap that they swam during a one-week period. The three swimmers who raised the most money were Rita, John, and Rodell. Together, they swam a total of 2125 laps. John swam three times as many laps as Rita, and Rodell swam 25 more laps than John.

How many laps did each swimmer swim?
Draw a picture to represent the situation. Label the unknown parts with variables and the known parts with their values.

Answer 1

To solve the swimming laps problem, we define Rita's laps as x, John's as 3x, and Rodell's as 3x+25. By setting up the equation x+3x+(3x+25)=2125 and solving for x, we find that Rita swam 300 laps, John swam 900 laps, and Rodell swam 925 laps.

Step-by-step explanation:

The problem involves Rita, John, and Rodell who participated in a fundraiser swimming laps to raise money. We are given that John swam three times as many laps as Rita, and Rodell swam 25 more laps than John. Together, they swam a total of 2125 laps. To solve for the number of laps each swimmer swam, we can use algebra. Let's label Rita's laps as x. Therefore, John's laps will be 3x and Rodell's laps will be 3x + 25.

The equation representing the total laps swum by all three is:
x + 3x + (3x + 25) = 2125. Solving this equation, we combine like terms to get 7x + 25 = 2125. Subtracting 25 from both sides gives us 7x = 2100. Dividing both sides by 7 results in x = 300. Now we know Rita swam 300 laps, John swam 900 laps (3 times 300), and Rodell swam 925 laps (900 + 25).