document.write( "Question 1092717: If you have 23 heads and 72 total legs, How many cows and roosters do you have? I have already tried 12 cows to get 48 legs and then had 11 roosters to add 22 legs. (A cow has 4 legs and a rooster has 2) \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #707327 by ikleyn(52847)\"\" \"About 
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If you have 23 heads and 72 total legs, How many cows and roosters do you have?
\n" ); document.write( "(A cow has 4 legs and a rooster has 2)
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "You can solve this problem in three different ways.
\n" ); document.write( "If you are familiar with systems of linear equations,  you can reduce the problem to the system of two linear equations in two unknowns and solve it.
\n" ); document.write( "This way is implemented in the  Solution 1  below.
\n" ); document.write( "You can also reduce the problem to one equation with one unknown and solve it.  This is done in the  Solution 2  below.
\n" ); document.write( "Alternatively,  you can solve the problem simply applying logical reasoning and not using equations at all.  This is done in the  Solution 3  below.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Solution 1\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Let  x  be the number of cows and  y  be the number of roosters at the farm.
\n" ); document.write( "If you count the heads you get the equation
\n" ); document.write( "x + y = 23.
\n" ); document.write( "If you count the legs you get the equation
\n" ); document.write( "4x + 2y = 72.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So you have the system of two equations with two unknowns
\n" ); document.write( "\"system+%28x+%2B+y+=+23%2C%0D%0A4x+%2B+2y+=+72%29%0D%0A\"\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "To solve this system of equations multiply the first equation by  2  and subtract the obtained equation from the second one.
\n" ); document.write( "You will get, step by step,
\n" ); document.write( "\"system+%282x+%2B+2y+=+46%2C%0D%0A4x+%2B+2y+=+72%29%0D%0A\"\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "4x - 2x = 72 - 46,
\n" ); document.write( "2x = 26,
\n" ); document.write( "x = 13.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So,  there are  13  cows in the farm.
\n" ); document.write( "Hence,  the number of roosters is  23 - 13 = 10.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Let us check the total number of legs.  You have altogether
\n" ); document.write( "4*13 + 2*10 = 52 + 20 = 72 legs.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Answer.  There are  13  cows and  10  roosters at the farm.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Solution 2\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Let  x  be the number of cows at a farm.
\n" ); document.write( "Then the number of roosters is  23 - x  in accordance with the condition.
\n" ); document.write( "If you count the legs you get the equation
\n" ); document.write( "4x + 2*(23-x) = 72.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "To solve this equation open the brackets and combine like terms,  step by step:
\n" ); document.write( "4x + 2*23 - 2x = 72,
\n" ); document.write( "2x + 46 = 72,
\n" ); document.write( "2x = 72 - 46,
\n" ); document.write( "2x = 26,
\n" ); document.write( "x = 13.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So,  there are  13  cows at the farm.
\n" ); document.write( "Hence,  the number of roosters is  23 - 13 = 10.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Let us check the total number of legs.  You have altogether
\n" ); document.write( "4*13 + 2*10 = 52 + 20 = 72 legs.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "You get the same answer as in the Solution 1.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Answer.  There are  13  cows and  10  roosters at the farm.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Solution 3\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Let us suppose for a moment that all the animals at the farm have two legs each.
\n" ); document.write( "Under this assumption, the total number of legs is  23*2 = 46 legs.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "This number is  26 = 72 - 46  less than  72  legs given by condition.
\n" ); document.write( "Certainly,  these  26  legs belong to cows in the number of  2  legs to each cow  (in addition to that two legs we just counted under the assumption).
\n" ); document.write( "This means that the number of cows is  26/2 = 13.
\n" ); document.write( "Hence,  the number of roosters is  23 - 13 = 10.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "You get the same answer as in the solutions  1  and  2  above.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Answer.  There are  13  cows and 10 roosters at the farm.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "This kind of problems are traditionally considered as entertainment problems.
\n" ); document.write( "And they traditionally are used to show the students all three approaches.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "To see more similar problems of this kind and their solutions, look into the lessons \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "    - Problem on animals at a farm (*)\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "    - Problem on two-wheel and three-wheel bicycles \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "    - Problem on pills in containers     and\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "    - What type of problems are these? \r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Notice that the lesson (*) has practically identical problem.
\n" ); document.write( "It is because of tradition again.
\n" ); document.write( "For this post, I simply made the global replacement \"rabbits ---> cows\" and \"turkey ---> roosters\" in that text file
\n" ); document.write( "(and changed the numbers respectively).\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Ha-ha-ha.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "            H a p p y   l e a r n i n g  ! !\r
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