Question

There are 363 students at Meadowbrook High School. There are 10 more

freshmen than sophomores, 20 more juniors than sophomores, and seven more
seniors than freshmen. How many seniors are there at the school?

Answer 1

First, put each grade in terms of x. Most grades are compared to Sophomores, so I made that x

Freshmen = x + 10
Sophomores = x
Juniors = x + 20
Seniors = (x + 10) + 7 = x + 17

Then, the total number of students = 363, so we’ll make an equation that adds them all up in terms of x to equal 363

(x + 10) + x + (x + 20) + (x + 17) = 363

Combine like terms:
4x + 47 = 363
Subtract 47 from both sides:
4x = 316
Divide both sides by 4:
x = 79

The question was how many seniors there are. Seniors were x + 17, so 79 + 17 = 96