ichael is making a large batch of smoothies. The recipe calls for 4 strawberries for every banana. Michael used 55 fruits all together.

The system of equations tells you that s is equal to 4b. To find the value of b, we can substitute 4b for s in the second equation. Do that now.
s=4b
s+b=55

s + b = 55
+ b = 55

1 answer

We can substitute \( s \) (which is \( 4b \)) into the second equation \( s + b = 55 \).

Given:

  1. \( s = 4b \)
  2. \( s + b = 55 \)

Substituting \( 4b \) for \( s \) in the second equation:

\[ 4b + b = 55 \]

Combining like terms:

\[ 5b = 55 \]

Now, divide both sides by 5:

\[ b = \frac{55}{5} = 11 \]

So, \( b = 11 \).

Now, we can find \( s \) by substituting \( b \) back into the first equation:

\[ s = 4b = 4 \times 11 = 44 \]

Thus, Michael used 44 strawberries and 11 bananas for his smoothies.