Question

A textbook store sold a combined total of 402 biology and physics textbooks in a week. The number of physics textbooks

Answer 1

We have two types of textbooks. Let's use "x" to represent the number of math textbooks and "y" to represent the number of history textbooks.

Altogether, the bookseller sold 240 math and history textbooks. So:

x + y = 240

Now, the number of history textbooks sold was 72 less than the number of math books sold. So:

y = x - 72

Now we can substitute for y in the equation and solve:

x + y = 240

x + (x - 72) = 240

2x - 72 = 240

2x = 312

x = 156

The bookseller sold 156 math textbooks.

Since y = x - 72, he must have sold 84 history textbooks.

Let's check our answers:

x + y = 240

156 + 84 = 240

That is true, so we did get the correct answers.