a + 2b = 8
a - b = -4
Multiply the second equation by -1.
-a + b = 4
Add the two equations:
3b = 12
b = 4
Put 4 into one equation:
a + 2(4) = 8
a + 8 = 8
a = 0
He caught 0 ants and 4 beetles.
Sam collects insects. However, he only
collects ants and beetles. One night while
collecting insects for his collection, Sam had
an unproductive hunt. The number of ants
plus twice the number of beetles was only
eight. The difference between the number of
ants and beetles was -4. How many ants and
how many beetles did he catch?
1 answer