I'm going to do this problem with mathematical equations (I chose x to represent the first, y as the second, and z as the third) so according to the first sentence, x+y+z=270 the second sentence is saying x+y=z+98 and the third sentence says z-47=x
I would first plug x in to my middle equation (z-47)+y=z+98 then add 47 to both sides to get z+y=z+145 In this case we are lucky because as we go to subtract z they cancel out and we get y=145
Now plug y and x (in terms of z) into the first equation (z-47)+145+z=270 subtract 47 from 145 to get 98 subtract that from 270 to give you z+z=172 simplify 2z=172 divide by 2 to get z=86
Now go back and plug in z to the bottom equation, 86-47=x so x is equal to 39
Overall we got x=39, y=145 and z=86 To make sure these answers are correct we want to plug the back into our original equations. 39+145+86=270 True! 39+145=184=86+98 True! and finally 86-47=39 True! So we know that these numbers are correct
*Just so you know it doesn't really matter which equation you plug in you substituted values into, or which one you solve for first, it's all just a matter of preference....
