16Hit1600
AlgebraHardLarger of two numbers from two relations

Algebra practice question

The sum of two numbers is 40. Three times the smaller number minus the larger number is 8. What is the larger number?

Answer: 28

With s + l = 40 and 3s − l = 8, adding gives 4s = 48, so s = 12 and l = 28.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 12
12 is the smaller number.
If you answered 20
20 halves the sum.
If you answered 32
32 uses 3s − l = 8 with s = 10.

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