Question

Write an equation that represents the following word problem.
Jackie has four more apples than Mark and together they have twelve apples. How many apples do each Jackie and Mark have?

a + (a - 4) = 12

a + (a + 4) = 12

both of these would work

neither of these would work

Answer 1

Both can work, depending on what a represents.

- If a = Jackie, then Mark = a − 4, so a + (a − 4) = 12 → 2a − 4 = 12 → 2a = 16 → a = 8. Jackie 8, Mark 4.
- If a = Mark, then Jackie = a + 4, so a + (a + 4) = 12 → 2a + 4 = 12 → 2a = 8 → a = 4. Jackie 8, Mark 4.

In either case Jackie has 8 apples and Mark has 4.