Question

An animal shelter spends $1.50 per day to care for each bird and $3.50 per day to care for each cat. Elijah noticed that the shelter spent $103.50 caring for birds and cats on Monday. Elijah found a record showing that there were a total of 37 birds and cats on Monday. How many birds were at the shelter on Monday?

Answer 1

Answer:

  Number of birds = 13

Explanation:

  An animal shelter spends $1.50 per day to care for each bird and $3.50 per day to care for each cat.

  Let the number of bird be 'a' and number of cat be 'b'.

  Total money spent = 103.5

  1.5 a + 3.5 b = 103.5 ------------------------equation 1

  Total number of birds and cats = 37

   a + b = 37  ------------------------equation 2

  1.5 x equation 2

   1.5 a + 1.5 b = 55.5  ------------------equation 3

 equation 1 - equation 3

      2 b = 103.5 - 55.5 = 48

          b = 24

     Substituting in equation 2

           a = 37 - 24 = 13  

     Number of birds = 13, Number of cats = 24.