Question

the difference (this means subtract) between 2 numbers is 36. the larger number is 4 times as great as the smaller. what are the 2 numbers?

Answer 1

To find the two numbers, set up a system of equations: y - x = 36 and y = 4x. Solving these, the smaller number (x) is 12, and the larger number (y) is 48.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves solving a system of equations to find two numbers where their difference is 36 and the larger number is four times as great as the smaller number. Let's define our variables: let x be the smaller number and y be the larger number. We can create two equations based on the information given: y - x = 36 and y = 4x.

Now we will solve this system of equations. Substitute y from the second equation into the first equation:

• 4x - x = 36
• 3x = 36
• x = 12

Since we found x (the smaller number) to be 12, we can now substitute it back into y = 4x to find the larger number:

• y = 4(12)
• y = 48

Therefore, the two numbers are 12 and 48.