Final answer:
To find the value of x - y, solve for the values of x and y using the given information. Substituting the values of x and y into the expression x - y gives us the final answer of -28.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the value of x - y, we need to first solve for the values of x and y using the given information.
From the ratio x:y=5:3, we can set up the equation 5a = 3a, where a represents the common factor.
Simplifying this equation gives us 2a = 0, and solving for a gives us a = 0.
Substituting this value of a into the equation x + y = 56 gives us x + 3x = 56, which simplifies to 4x = 56.
Solving for x gives us x = 14.
Substituting this value of x into x + y = 56 gives us 14 + y = 56, which simplifies to y = 42.
Finally, we can find x - y by substituting the values of x and y into the expression: 14 - 42 = -28.
Therefore, the value of x - y is -28.