16Hit1600
AlgebraMediumLarger of two numbers from a sum and a multiple

Algebra practice question

The sum of two numbers is 20, and one number is three times the other. What is the larger number?

Answer: 15

Let the smaller be x; the larger is 3x. x + 3x = 20, so x = 5 and the larger is 15.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 5
5 is the SMALLER number.
If you answered 10
10 is half of 20, treating the numbers as equal.
If you answered 6.67
6.67 is 20/3, dividing by the multiple instead of by 4 (the total number of parts).

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