a farm has only horses and chickens. it has a total of 58 animals and a total of 180 legs on the animals. how many horses and chickens are on the farm

Question

hurry plz i have a 9 as a grade in algebra 1

Answer 1

You can set up two equations, where H represents horses and C represents chickens.

(Equation 1) H + C = 58

(Equation 2) 4H + 2C = 180 (since horses have 4 legs and chickens have 2 leg)

I recommend multiplying (Equation 1) by 2 and subtracting it from (Equation 2), as follows:

2 * (H + C = 58) >>> 2 H + 2 C = 116

Now subtract this from (Equation 2):

4H + 2C = 180

2H + 2C = 116 (subtract from row above)

2H = 64

divide both sides by 2

H = 32

Now, plug H = 32 into either of the original equations. I will use the original (Equation 1).

H + C= 58 (Equation 1)

(plug in 32 for H)

32 + C = 58

(subtract both sides by 32)

C = 26

You have 32 Horses and 26 Chickens.

You can double check your answer by plugging in H = 32 and C = 26 into (Equation 2) to confirm accuracy.