Question

Melissa, Brian, and shen have a total of $85 in their wallets. Brian has 3 times what Shen has. Shen has $10 less than Melissa. How much do they have in their wallets?

Answer 1

Shen has $15, Brian has $45, and Melissa has $25

Explanation:

Let x represent how much money Shen has.

Since Brian has 3 times what Shen has, his amount can be represented by 3x.

Since Shen has $10 less than Melissa, Melissa's amount can be represented by x + 10.

Create an equation to represent the situation, and solve for x:

x + 3x + x + 10 = 85

5x + 10 = 85

5x = 75

x = 15

So, Shen has $15 in their wallet.

Find how much Brian has by multiplying this by 3:

15(3) = $45

Find how much Melissa has by adding 10 to this:

15 + 10 = $25

Shen has $15, Brian has $45, and Melissa has $25.