Answer:
The weight of cat is 14 pounds and the weight of kitten is 4 pounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
Given:
Callie has a new kitten. It can weigh 3 pounds less than half the weight of Callie‘s cat. Together the cat and kitten weigh 18 pounds.
Now, to find the weight of each animal:
Let the cat's weight be [tex]x.[/tex]
And the kitten weight = [tex]\frac{x}{2} -3[/tex]
Total weight of cat and kitten = 18 pounds.
Now, to set an equation to get the weight of each animal:
[tex](x)+(\frac{x}{2}-3)=18[/tex]
[tex]x+\frac{x}{2} -3=18[/tex]
[tex]\frac{2x+x-6}{2} =18[/tex]
[tex]\frac{3x-6}{2} =18[/tex]
Multiplying both sides by 2 we get:
[tex]3x-6=36[/tex]
Adding both sides by 6 we get:
[tex]3x=42[/tex]
Dividing both sides by 3 we get:
[tex]x=14\ pounds.[/tex]
The weight of cat = 14 pounds.
Substituting the value of [tex]x[/tex] to get the kitten's weight:
[tex]\frac{x}{2} -3\\\\=\frac{14}{2}-3\\\\=7-3\\\\=4.[/tex]
The kitten's weight = 4 pounds.
Therefore, the weight of cat is 14 pounds and the weight of kitten is 4 pounds.
