Question

A farm has 20 animals; some are horses and some are chickens. Altogether, there are 36 legs. If x represents the number of horses and y represents the number of chickens, what coordinate pair represents how many of each animal is on the farm? Use the graph of the system of equations to determine the solution.

y=−x+20

y=−2x+18

Answer 1

To find the coordinate pair that represents the number of horses and chickens on the farm, we need to find the values of x and y that satisfy both equations.

Setting the two equations equal to each other, we have:

-x + 20 = -2x + 18

Adding 2x to both sides, we get:

x + 20 = 18

Subtracting 20 from both sides, we have:

x = -2

To find the value of y, we can substitute x = -2 into either equation. Let's use the first equation:

y = -(-2) + 20

y = 2 + 20

y = 22

Therefore, the coordinate pair that represents the number of horses and chickens on the farm is (-2, 22).