Question

Leila, Kevin, and Juan have a total of $100 in their wallets. Leila has $5 less than Kevin. Juan has 3 times what Leila has. How much do they have in their wallets?

Answer 1

• Leila: $19
• Kevin: $24
• Juan: $57

Explanation:

We want to find the amounts in three wallets, given their total and certain relations between the amounts.

Setup

The amounts that Kevin and Juan have are expressed in relation to the amount Leila has. We can use the variable x to represent the amount Leila has, and write one equation for the total using the given relations for the other amounts.

Leila has x in her wallet. This is $5 less than Kevin's amount, so he has (x+5). Juan has 3 times Leila's amount, or 3x. The total is $100:

x +(x +5) +3x = 100

Solution

5x +5 = 100 . . . . . . . . simplify

x +1 = 20 . . . . . . . . divide by 5

x = 19 . . . . . . . . . subtract 1

x +5 = 24 . . . . . . Kevin's amount

3x = 57 . . . . . . . . Juan's amount

Leila has $19, Kevin has $24, and Juan has $57 in their wallets.