Question

Am eastern cotttentail rabbit and ferret weigh 7 lbs together. The ferret weighs 2 lbs more than the rabbit. Create a system of equations to represent the scanario. How much does each weigh. If the answer is not an integer write as a decimal.

Answer 1

Explanation:

The first equation is the weights of the rabbit and the ferret together which is

r + f = 7.

The second equation puts the weight of the ferret in terms of the rabbit. If the ferret's weight is 2 pounds more than the rabbit, then

f = r + 2 (the word "is" means equals). Since we know what f is equal to, we will sub it into the first equation and solve for r:

r + (r + 2) = 7 and

2r + 2 = 7 and

2r = 5 so

r = 2.5 pounds.

A rabbit weights 2.5 pounds and the ferret weights 7 - 2.5 which is 4.5 pounds.