Final answer:
Dean is seeking two numbers where the difference is 16 and three times the larger is equal to seven times the smaller. By setting up a system of equations and solving for both variables, we find that the numbers he is looking for are 12 and 28.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dean is asking for two numbers where the difference between them is 16, and where three times the larger number is equal to seven times the smaller number. To find these numbers, we can set up the following system of equations:
- Let x be the larger number and y be the smaller number.
- The difference between the numbers is 16, so x - y = 16.
- Three times the larger number is equal to seven times the smaller number, so 3x = 7y.
Now we will solve this system of equations. From the first equation, we can express x as x = y + 16.
Substituting this into the second equation gives us 3(y + 16) = 7y, which simplifies to 3y + 48 = 7y.
Solving for y gives us y = 12.
Now that we have the value for y, we can find x by substituting y back into the equation x = y + 16, which gives us x = 12 + 16,
so x = 28.
Therefore, the two numbers Dean is asking for are 12 and 28.