Question

An animal shelter spends $5.50 per day to care for each bird and $8.50 per day to care for each cat. Nicole noticed that the shelter spent $283.00 caring for birds and cats on Wednesday. Nicole found a record showing that there were a total of 40 birds and cats on Wednesday. How many birds were at the shelter on Wednesday

Answer 1

Answer 19 birds
Working steps
TRIAL ANd ERROR

8.5x21 178.5
5.5x19 104.5
Therefore all cats cost $178.50 and all birds cost $104.50
Enjoy

Answer 2

Answer: there were 19 birds at the shelter on Wednesday

Explanation:

Let x represent number of beds at the shelter on Wednesday.

Let y represent the number of cats at the shelter on Wednesday.

Nicole found a record showing that there were a total of 40 birds and cats on Wednesday. This means that

x + y = 40

The animal shelter spends $5.50 per day to care for each bird and $8.50 per day to care for each cat. Nicole noticed that the shelter spent $283.00 caring for birds and cats on Wednesday. This means that

5.5x + 8.5y = 283 - - - - - - - - - - -1

Substituting x = 40 - y into equation 1, it becomes

5.5(40 - y) + 8.5y = 283

220 - 5.5y + 8.5y = 283

- 5.5y + 8.5y = 283 - 220

3y = 63

y = 63/3 = 21

x = 40 - y

x = 40 - 21 = 19