Explanation:
Let the larger number be y and the smaller be x.
All you need to do is convert the English statements to mathematical statements.
y = 3x – 1 /the larger of two numbers is 1 less than 3 times the smaller number/
2x + y = 18 + y /if twice the smaller number is increased by the larger number, the result is 18 more than the larger number/
Solve the second equation.
2x + y = 18 + y
2x = 18
x = 9
Then substitute the value of x in the first equation.
y = 3x – 1 = 3(9) – 1 = 27 – 1 = 26