Question

The difference between two numbers is 31. The smaller number is 38 less than twice the larger number. Find the two numbers.
The smaller number is __. The larger number is __.

Answer 1

Let's call the smaller number s and the larger number l.

According to the problem:
1. l - s = 31
2. s = 2l - 38

We can now substitute the second equation into the first equation to solve for the two numbers:

l - (2l - 38) = 31
l - 2l + 38 = 31
-1l + 38 = 31
-1l = -7
l = 7

Now we can substitute the value of l back into the second equation to find s:

s = 2(7) - 38
s = 14 - 38
s = -24

Therefore, the smaller number is -24 and the larger number is 7.