SOLUTION: The difference between two numbers is 12 and twice the larger is three times the smaller. What is the smaller number?

Question 918079: The difference between two numbers is 12 and twice the larger is three times the smaller. What is the smaller number?
Found 2 solutions by CubeyThePenguin, greenestamps:
Answer by CubeyThePenguin(3113) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
x = larger number
y = smaller number

x - y = 12
2x = 3y

Plug in x = 3y/2 into equation 1.

3y/2 - y = 12
y/2 = 12
y = 24

The numbers are 36 and 24.
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Since twice the larger is equal to three times the smaller, the two numbers are in the ratio 3:2.

So the two numbers can be represented by 3x and 2x.

The difference between 3x and 2x is 3x-2x=x.

But the difference between the numbers is 12, so x=12.

And then the two numbers are 3x=36 and 2x=24.

ANSWER: The smaller number is 24.

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