Question

35 points!! How much does a fish weigh if its tail weighs 4 kilograms, it's head weighs as much as it's tail and half its body, and half its body weighs as much as it's head and tail together?

Answer 1

Let t, h, b represent the weighs of tail, head, and body, respectively.

t = 4 . . . . given

h = t + b/2 . . . . the head weighs as much as the tail and half the body

b/2 = h + t . . . . half the body weighs as much as the head and tail

_____

Substituting for b/2 in the second equation using the expression in the third equation, we have

... h = t + (h + t)

Subtracting h from both sides gives

... 0 = 2t . . . . . . in contradiction to the initial statement about tail weight.

Conclusion: there's no solution to the problem given here.