Answer:
Maria's book is 202 pages long, Brandon's book is 146 pages long
Step-by-step explanation:
We can set this up with 2 variables: lets say that Maria's book length is x and Brandon's is y.
We can see that Maria's book is 56 pages longer than Brandon's and can come up with an equation:
x=y+56
We also see that their booklengths add up to 348, and can get:
x+y=348
From here, we solve for x and y. We can use substitution to find y.
x+y=348
(y+56)+y=348
2y=292
y=146
Here we plug in for x:
x=y+56
x=(146)+56
x=202
Therefor we get that Maria's book is 202 pages long, Brandon's book is 146 pages long
