Question

Sir Arthur has half as many Arabian horses as shire horses, and he has a combined total of 42. How many shire horses does sir arthur have

Answer 1

To determine the number of shire horses, we utilize algebraic equations, taking into account that Arabian horses number half of shire horses and the total count is 42. Solving for S, representing shire horses, we find that Sir Arthur has 28 shire horses.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks how many shire horses Sir Arthur has if he has half as many Arabian horses as shire horses and a combined total of 42 horses. Let's denote the number of shire horses as S and the number of Arabian horses as A. According to the problem, A is half of S: A = S / 2. The total number of horses is the sum of the shire horses and Arabian horses which equals 42: S + A = 42.

We can substitute the expression for A (A = S / 2) into the second equation to find the number of shire horses:

1. S + (S / 2) = 42
2. Multiply the entire equation by 2 to eliminate the fraction: 2S + S = 84
3. Combine like terms: 3S = 84
4. Divide both sides by 3 to solve for S: S = 84 / 3
5. Calculate the result: S = 28

Therefore, Sir Arthur has 28 shire horses.