Question:
As part of their government class, Maddie and Ryan had to log volunteer hours in their community. Ryan volunteered for one more than three times the numbers of hours that Maddie did. Altogether, they volunteered in their community for 45 hours. How many hours did Ryan volunteer?
Answer:
Ryan volunteered for 34 hours
Solution:
Let "x" be the number of hours Ryan volunteered
Let "y" be the number of hours Maddie volunteered
Given that, Altogether, they volunteered in their community for 45 hours
Therefore,
number of hours Ryan volunteered + number of hours Maddie volunteered = 45
x + y = 45 ------- eqn 1
Ryan volunteered for one more than three times the number of hours that Maddie did
number of hours Ryan = 1 + 3(number of hours Maddie)
x = 1 + 3y --------- eqn 2
Substitute eqn 2 in eqn 1
1 + 3y + y = 45
1 + 4y = 45
4y = 45 - 1
4y = 44
y = 11
Substitute y = 11 in eqn 2
x = 1 + 3(11) = 1 + 33
x = 34
Thus Ryan volunteered for 34 hours