Linear Equation problem

[kl89]

Hello everybody I have been stuck on this question forever and cant figure out what I should be doing.

One positive number is 5 times another number. The difference between the two numbers is 72, find the numbers.

The two numbers in increasing order are ________ and ________.

If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bhuvaneshnick]

[COLOR=#333333]One positive number is 5 times another number[/COLOR]

x=5y

[COLOR=#333333]The difference between the two numbers is 72, find the numbers. [/COLOR]

x-5y=72

this is the equation i can form from your statement.BUt this lead nowhere

 

[Steven G]

[COLOR=#333333]One positive number is 5 times another number[/COLOR]

x=5y

[COLOR=#333333]The difference between the two numbers is 72, find the numbers. [/COLOR]

x-5y=72

this is the equation i can form from your statement.BUt this lead nowhere

The reason you are making this mistake is because you did not define your variables!

Let y= smaller number.
Let x=larger number.
The difference between the two numbers is 72. What you are calling the two numbers is now right on the page! So x-y=72.
The larger number(x) is 5 times the smaller number(y). So x=5y

Now solve x-y=72, x=5y

 

[Ishuda]

Hello everybody I have been stuck on this question forever and cant figure out what I should be doing.

One positive number is 5 times another number. The difference between the two numbers is 72, find the numbers.

The two numbers in increasing order are ________ and ________.

If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.

The problem has been solved above but I thought I might add something that could be of use in other problems like this.

Remember that you can call the variables anything you wish to call them as long as you say what they are. So, if you call the larger variable L (for larger) and the smaller variable S (for smaller), it might help (but no guarantees). One (larger) positive number is five time another (smaller) number translates to L=5S, i.e. Larger is 5 times Smaller. The difference between the two numbers is 72 translates to L-S=72, i.e. Larger minus Smaller is 72. Of course you still have to solve the system of equations but just maybe that kind of naming of variables will help set them up.