Question

Write a system of equations to describe the situation below, solve using elimination, and fill in the blanks. Tori hosts a podcast about computers, and Wendy hosts a podcast about parenting. Both podcasts have a set duration for each episode. Last year, Tori released 40 episodes and Wendy released 16 episodes, for a total of 5,584 minutes of content. This year, Tori released 27 episodes and Wendy released 11 episodes, which lasted a total of 3,795 minutes. How long is each episode? Each episode of Tori's podcast is minutes long, and each episode of Wendy's podcast is minutes long.

Answer 1

x = minutes of Tori's podcast = 88 minutes

y = minutes of Wendy's podcast = 129 minutes

Explanation:

Let

x = minutes of Tori's podcast

y = minutes of Wendy's podcast

40x + 16y = 5,584 (1)

27x + 11y = 3,795 (2)

Multiply (1) by 11 and (2) by 16

440x + 176y = 61,424 (3)

432x + 176y = 60,720 (4)

Subtract (4) from (3) to eliminate y

440x - 432x = 61,424 - 60,720

8x = 704

x = 704/8

x = 88

Substitute x = 88 into (1)

40x + 16y = 5,584 (1)

40(88) + 16y = 5,584

3,520 + 16y = 5,584

16y = 5,584 - 3,520

16y = 2,064

y = 2,064/16

y = 129

x = minutes of Tori's podcast = 88 minutes

y = minutes of Wendy's podcast = 129 minutes