Question

A blue lizard is 22 cm above the ground and climbs at a constant rate of 3 cm per second.
A green lizard is 12 cm above the ground and climbs at a constant rate of 4cm per second.
• x is the number of seconds a lizard climbs.
•y is the number of centimeters above the ground.
Write a system of equations to represent this solution

Answer 1

Let x be seconds and y be centimeters. The system is:

y = 22 + 3x (blue lizard)
y = 12 + 4x (green lizard)

If you want when they are at the same height, set them equal: 22 + 3x = 12 + 4x ⇒ x = 10 s, y = 52 cm.