Algebra 2 Word Problem

Question

Mrs. Brown bought some sweets for her children. If she gave each child 6 sweets, she would have 1 sweet left. If she gave each child 7 sweets, she would need 4 more. What is the smallest possible number of children Mrs. Brown could have?

Answer 1

Hi Josiah, let x represent the smallest number of children Mrs. Brown could have. We can create an equation to represent the facts:

 

6 * x + 1 = 7 * x - 4

 

Solve for x:

 

Subtract 6x from both sides:

 

1 = x - 4

 

Add 4 to both sides:

 

x = 5

 

Mrs. Brown has five children.

 

Check:

 

6 * 5 + 1 = 31

 

7 * 5 - 4 = 31

 

Questions?