Question 185170
Three chickens were weighed in pairs; the first pair weighed in at 10.6 kg,
 the second pair weighed in at 8.5 kg, and the third pair weighed in at
 6.1kg. How much would the scale read if all three chickens were weighed
 at the same time? How many kilograms does each chicken weigh?
:
Three chickens that weigh: x, y, z
:
x+y = 10.6
y = (10.6-x)
:
x+z = 8.5
z = (8.5-x)
:
y+z = 6.1
y = (6.1-z)
substitute (8.5-x) for z
y = 6.1 - (8.5-x)
y = 6.1 - 8.5 + x
y = (x - 2.4)
:
In the 1st equation, substitute (x-2.4) for y
x + (x-2.4) = 10.6
2x = 10.6 + 2.4
2x = 13
x = {{{13/2}}}
x = 6.5 lb is the 1st chicken
:
6.5 + y = 10.6
y = 10.6 - 6.5
y = 4.1 lb is the 2nd chicken
;
z = 8.5 - x
z = 8.5 - 6.5
z = 2 lb is the 3rd chicken
:
Total; 6.5 + 4.1 + 2 = 12.6 lb
:
You can check my solutions in the original equations