SOLUTION: A boy had a box containing a total of 8 spiders and beetles. He counted 54 legs altogether. Find how many of each were in the box (spiders have 8 legs and beetles have 6 legs).

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Question 826559: A boy had a box containing a total of 8 spiders and beetles. He counted 54 legs altogether. Find how many of each were in the box (spiders have 8 legs and beetles have 6 legs).
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20054) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A boy had a box containing a total of 8 spiders and beetles. He counted 54 legs altogether. Find how many of each were in the box (spiders have 8 legs and beetles have 6 legs).
 s+ b =  8
8s+6b = 54

You can solve that system and get the answer.  Or you can do it without 
algebra this way:

A beetle has 3 pairs of legs, and a spider has 3 pairs plus an extra pair.  54
legs is 27 pairs of legs.  All 8 critters have 3 pairs, and that accounts for 24
pair, so the extra 3 pairs belong to the spiders. So there are 3 spiders, and
the other 5 are beetles. 

Edwin