Question

There are 18 animals on a farm.

Some of the animals are ducks and some of the animals are cows.
If the total number of animal legs is 52, how many cows are there?

Answer 1

Let's solve this problem using algebra.

Let D represent the number of ducks and C represent the number of cows.

We know two things from the problem:

1. D + C = 18 (total number of animals)

2. 2D + 4C = 52 (total number of legs)

We can solve this system of equations. First, let's solve the first equation for D:

D = 18 - C

Then, substitute D into the second equation:

2(18 - C) + 4C = 52

36 - 2C + 4C = 52

36 + 2C = 52

2C = 52 - 36

2C = 16

C = 16 / 2

C = 8

So there are 8 cows on the farm.