16Hit1600
AlgebraMediumTwo quantities from a relation and a weighted sum

Algebra practice question

A shelf holds novels and atlases. There are 5 more atlases than novels, and three times the number of novels plus twice the number of atlases is 50. How many novels are there?

Answer: 8

Let novels be n: 3n + 2(n + 5) = 50, so 5n + 10 = 50 and n = 8.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 10
10 comes from 5n = 50, forgetting the 10 from the atlases' extra 5.
If you answered 12
12 comes from 5n = 60 (adding 10 instead of subtracting).
If you answered 13
13 is the number of atlases.

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