Solve the following word problem

Question

Solve the following word problem: Gary has three less pets than Abe. If together they own 15 pets, how many pets does Gary own? Need the equation!

Answer 1

This math word problem translates into the system of 2 linear equations:

A + G = 15

A -  G = 3

where the variables A and G stand for the number of pets owned by Abe and Gary. Adding two equations will produce:

2A=18, or A = 9 (pets)

Correspondingly, G = 6 (pets)