SOLUTION: One angle is 4 degrees less then 3 times the other. What is the measure of the smaller angle? What is the measure of the other angle? How do you figure this out?

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Question 250895: One angle is 4 degrees less then 3 times the other.
What is the measure of the smaller angle?
What is the measure of the other angle?
How do you figure this out?
Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let y = one angle.
let x = the other angle.

your equation becomes:

y = 3*x - 4

this means that y is 4 degrees less than 3 * x.

you don't have enough information to solve for the measure of the angle.

you have to be given the value of one or the other in order to solve that.

you do have enough information to solve for the measure of the angle in terms of the measure of the other angle.

using this formula, you can find the value of y given the value of x, but you have to be given the value of x.

if you are not given the value of x, you can't find the value of y, because the value of y will vary based on the value of x.

a graph of your equation shows the relationship.

graph+%28600%2C600%2C-90%2C90%2C-270%2C270%2C3%2Ax-4%2C185%29

from this graph, you can see that the value of y is determined by the value of x.

the graph is not accurate enough for you to see this directly, but if you use the formula to solve the equation for a given value of x, you will see that the value of y is in the general vicinity of that answer.

for example, when x = 63, y = 3*63 - 4 = 185 degrees.

I put a horizontal line at y = 185 to show you that the intersection of that line with the graph of the equation occurs at x = 63. drop a vertical line from that intersection and it will intersect the x-axis at approximately x = 63 if not right on. any deviation is due to the inaccuracy of the graphing method and or the display of the graph.

the answer to your question is:

the measure of the smaller angle is x.
the measure of the larger angle is y.

this was determined by relating the 2 angles through the use of a formula that was derived from the given statements about the relationship between the 2 angles.