Divide $80 among three people so that the second will have twice as much as the first, and the third will have $5 less than the second.

Question

I dont understand this question, please give me the answer to this.

Answer 1

Have no fear, Abdullah! We can do this...if we organize a bit, first...

First person      :X

Second person: 2X

Third person:    2X-5

Now, we simply add their money together and make an equation:

X + 2X + 2X - 5 = 80

5X - 5     =  80

      +5         +5

  5X        = 85

  5X/5    = 85/5

   X         = 17

That means we can plug it back into our three definitions and get:

First         : 17

Second    : 2*17 = 34

Third:       Second - 5 = 34 - 5 = 29

If you double-check the math, you will find that those three dollar amounts add up to 80. Ta-da!

Answer 2

Translating the wording of the problem into algebra,

 

x = amount the 1st person gets

2x = amount the 2nd person gets

2x - 5 = amount the 3rd person gets

 

The 3 amounts have to add up to 80, so

 

x + 2x + (2x - 5) = 80

 

Can you solve for x and finish from here?