document.write( "Question 155468: I don't understand how to set up this problem nor solve it?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "In a family there are two cars. In a given week,the first car gets an average of 25 miles per gallon, and the second car gets 40 miles per gallon. The two cars combined drives a total of 1825 miles in that one week, for a total gas consumption of 55 gallons. How many gallons were consumed by each of the two cars that week?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #114497 by nerdybill(7384)\"\" \"About 
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In a family there are two cars. In a given week,the first car gets an average of 25 miles per gallon, and the second car gets 40 miles per gallon. The two cars combined drives a total of 1825 miles in that one week, for a total gas consumption of 55 gallons. How many gallons were consumed by each of the two cars that week?
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\n" ); document.write( "Let x = amt of gas consumed by first car
\n" ); document.write( "and y = amt of gas consumed by second car
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\n" ); document.write( "25x + 40y = 1825 (equation 1)
\n" ); document.write( " x + y = 55 (equation 2)
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\n" ); document.write( "solve equation 2 for y:
\n" ); document.write( "x+y = 55
\n" ); document.write( "y = 55-x
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\n" ); document.write( "Use the above, and substitute it into equation 1 and solve for x:
\n" ); document.write( "25x + 40y = 1825
\n" ); document.write( "25x + 40(55-x) = 1825
\n" ); document.write( "25x + 2200 - 40x = 1825
\n" ); document.write( "2200 - 15x = 1825
\n" ); document.write( "- 15x = -375
\n" ); document.write( "x = -375/-15
\n" ); document.write( "x = 25 gallons (gas consumed by 25 mpg car)
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\n" ); document.write( "From equation 2:
\n" ); document.write( " x + y = 55
\n" ); document.write( " 25 + y = 55
\n" ); document.write( "y = 55-25
\n" ); document.write( "y = 30 gallons (gas consumed by 40 mpg car)
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