Question

A middle school has a speech club with a total of 18 students. The ratio of girls to boys is 4:5. How many girls are in the speech club? How many boys are in the speech club? Justify your answers. (using linear equations)

Answer 1

The ratio is 4:5
so girls=4x
and boys=5x
(because you don't know how many boys or girls there are)
then the equation would be
4x+5x=18
9x=18
so x=2
 then 2 times 4 which equals 8
and 2 times 5 which equals 10

so there are 8 girls and 10 boys