document.write( "Question 1139505: I think this is a system of equations question. \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "A farmer plants soybeans, corn, and wheat and rotates the planting each year on his 500 acre farm. In a particular year, the profits from his crops were $120 per acre of soybeans, $100 per acre of corn, and $80 per acre of wheat. He plants twice as many acres of corn as soybeans.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "How many acres did he plant with each crop the year he made a total profit of $51,000?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #759971 by greenestamps(13200)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


\n" ); document.write( "It COULD be a system of equations problem; as such, it would be a good exercise in solving such problems.

\n" ); document.write( "However, it is much easier to solve if you write and solve a single equation using a single variable.

\n" ); document.write( "It will take a little extra time to figure out how to write the single equation in a single variable; but solving that single equation will take far less time than solving a system of three equations in three variables.

\n" ); document.write( "Here is how you would probably set up the problem using three variables....

\n" ); document.write( "Let x = acres of soybeans
\n" ); document.write( "Let y = acres of corn
\n" ); document.write( "Let z = acres of wheat

\n" ); document.write( "Then

\n" ); document.write( "(1) x+y+z = 500 (the total acreage is 500)
\n" ); document.write( "(2) y = 2x (twice as many acres of corn as soybeans)
\n" ); document.write( "(3) 120x + 100y + 80z = 51000 (his profit is $51,000)

\n" ); document.write( "You would probably replace \"y\" with \"2x\" in (1) and (3) and then use elimination to solve for either x or z, and then proceed from there....

\n" ); document.write( "Here is how you could set up the equation using a single variable:

\n" ); document.write( "Let x = acres of soybeans
\n" ); document.write( "Then 2x = acres of corn (twice as many acres of corn as soybeans)
\n" ); document.write( "And (500-3x) = acres of wheat (the total acreage is 500; 3x of that is corn or soybeans)

\n" ); document.write( "Then the single equation is

\n" ); document.write( "\"120%28x%29%2B100%282x%29%2B80%28500-3x%29+=+51000\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"120x%2B200x%2B40000-240x+=+51000\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"80x+=+11000\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+137.5\"

\n" ); document.write( "ANSWER: x=137.5 acres of soybeans; 2x = 275 acres of corn; (500-412.5) = 87.5 acres of wheat
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