Question

A hippopotamus can hold its breath for about 15 minutes. It can hold its breath 5 minutes longer than a sea otter. Use an equation to find how long a sea otter can hold its breath. A. 5 minutes B. 10 minutes C. 15 minutes D. 20 minutes

Answer 1

B. 10 minutes

Explanation:

Let x represent the number of minutes that a sea otter can hold its breath. A hippopotamus can hold its breath for 5 minutes longer than x. So, the equation would be:

x + 5 = 15

Subtract 5 from both sides.

x + 5 = 15

x + 5 - 5 = 15 - 5

x = 10

A sea otter can hold its breath for 10 minutes.

Hope that helps.