Question

Ryan earns $5
for each small dog he walks and $8
for each large dog he walks. Today he walked
8 dogs and made a total of $49
. How many small dogs did Ryan walk?

Answer 1

Let s = number of small dogs, l = number of large dogs.

s + l = 8
5s + 8l = 49

From the first, l = 8 − s. Substitute:
5s + 8(8 − s) = 49
5s + 64 − 8s = 49
−3s = −15
s = 5

Ryan walked 5 small dogs (and 3 large dogs).