A basketball team played 70 games. They won 24 more than they lost. How many games did they win? How many games did they lose?

Question

I believe this problem is either solved by substitution or elimination. I am in Intermediate Algebra. 

Answer 1

Let x represent the number of games they lost. Then they won 24 + x games. Since the team played 70 games, x + (24 + x) = 70. Thus 2x + 24 = 70. Dividing both sides of the equation by 2, we have x + 12 = 35. Hence, x = 35 - 12 = 23.

Answer 2

let w = wins
let l = losses = 70-w
w-l = 24 = w-(70-w) = 2w -70
2w = 94
w = 47 = number of games won
l = 70-47 = 23

 

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