Question

Two hikers hike from a first mountain to a second mountain. The next day, they hike from the second mountain to the hollow. The total distance is 25mi. If the distance between the second mountain and the hollow is 7mi more than the distance from the first mountain to the second mountain, find the distance they hiked each day.

Answer 1

Answer: on the first day, they hiked 9 miles.

On the second day, they hiked 16 miles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the distance that the two hikers hiked from the first mountain to the second mountain.

Let y represent the distance that the two hikers hiked from the second mountain to the hollow.

The total distance is 25mi. This means that

x + y = 25 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1

If the distance between the second mountain and the hollow is 7mi more than the distance from the first mountain to the second mountain, it means that

y = x + 7

Substituting y = x + 7 into equation 1, it becomes

x + x + 7 = 25

2x = 25 - 7

2x = 18

x = 18/2 = 9

y = x + 7 = 9 + 7

y = 16