To solve the problem, we need to establish an equation that represents the situation described. We know that the shelf can hold a total of 58 cans and currently has 39 cans that can still be added before it is full.
Let
Now, we can solve for
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Subtract 39 from both sides of the equation:
-
Simplifying the right side gives:
So, there are 19 cans already on the shelf.
Looking at the options:
- c + 39 = 58 and −19 (incorrect)
- c − 58 = 39 and 97 (incorrect)
- c − 58 = 39 and 97 (incorrect)
- c + 39 = 58 and 19 (correct)
The correct equation is