three times a number is subtracted from another number and the difference is 3. The sum of the two numbers is 31. What is the smaller of the two numbers
Accepted Solution
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ANSWERThe smaller number is 7.EXPLANATIONLet the numbers be x and y.Then we have;y-3x=3... eqn (1)If the sum of the numbers is 3 then,y+x=31... eqn (2)Eqn(2) - Eqn (1)x--3x=31-3[tex]4x = 28[/tex]Divide both sides by 4,[tex]x = 7[/tex]We put x=7 into the second equation,y+7=31y=31-7y=24The smaller of the two numbers is 7.