Question

Julia and Lena started reading a science fiction book at the same time. During the first week, Lena read 10 more pages than Julia. The following week, Lena read 14 pages, and Julia read the same number of pages she read the first week. Now they are on the same page.
Which equation can you use to find j, the number of pages Julia read during the first week?
How many pages did Julia read during the first week?
pages

Answer 1

Let \( j \) be the number of pages Julia read during the first week. According to the problem:

1. Lena read 10 more pages than Julia in the first week, so Lena read \( j + 10 \) pages.
2. In the second week, Lena read 14 pages, and Julia read \( j \) pages again.

Now, we can find the total number of pages read by both Julia and Lena after two weeks:

- Total pages read by Julia after two weeks: \( j + j = 2j \)
- Total pages read by Lena after two weeks: \( (j + 10) + 14 = j + 24 \)

Since they are on the same page after two weeks, we can set up the equation:

\[
2j = j + 24
\]

Now, to solve for \( j \):

1. Subtract \( j \) from both sides:

\[
2j - j = 24
\]

2. This simplifies to:

\[
j = 24
\]

Thus, Julia read **24 pages** during the first week.