Question

Alex and Jackson are brothers who are selling mums for a football fundraiser. Together they have sold 37 mums. If Alex has sold 19 more mums than Jackson, how many mums has Jackson sold? Use X to represent the number of mums alex sold and y to represent the number of mums Jackson sold.

Answer 1

x = mums sold by Alex

y = mums sold by Jackson

`\boxed{\begin{array}{llll} \stackrel{ \textit{together they've sold 37} }{x + y = 37} \\\\\\ \stackrel{ \textit{Alex has sold}}{x} = \stackrel{ Jackson }{y} + 19 \end{array}}\hspace{5em} \begin{array}{llll} \stackrel{\textit{substituting on the 1st equation}}{(y+19)~~ + ~~y~~ = ~~37}\\\\ 2y+19=37\\\\ 2y=18\\\\ y=\cfrac{18}{2}\\\\ y=9 \end{array}`

Answer 2

Jackson has sold 18, that’s the only possibility.