Question 214968
A group of 127 students and 4 teachers go on a field trip. They have vans which hold seven students and buss which hold 25. They have five more vans than buses. How many buses and vans are needed.


Step 1.  Let x be the number of buses.  Let x+5 be the number of vans.


Step 2.  Let 7(x+5) be the numbers of students in the vans.


Step 3.  Let 25x be the number of students in the buses.


Step 4.  7(x+5)+25x=131  Total number of students and teachers in the buses and vans resulting from adding the expressions in Steps 2 and 3.


Step 5.  The following steps will solve the above equation in Step 4.


*[invoke explain_simplification "7(x+5)+25x=131" ]



With x=3 , then x+5=8.  Check if you have 131 students and teachers by solving 3*25+8*7=75+56=131 which is a true statement.


Step 6.  The number of buses is 3 and the number of vans is 8.



I hope the above steps were helpful.


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Good luck in your studies!


Respectfully,
Dr J