Steve practised #3# hours more than Anne did, while Kate practised #5# times as long as Steve. For how long did they practise altogether?

2 Answers
Jun 1, 2017

#T=7x+18#

Explanation:

#x# represents the number of hours that Ann practised.

If #y# represents the number of hours that Steve practised and Steve practiced 3 more hours than Ann, that translates to:

#y=x+3#

If #z# represents the number of hours that Kate practised and Kate practised #5# times as long as Steve, that translates to:

#z=5(x+3)#

#z=5x+15#

The total time, #T#, they practised is:

#T=x+y+z#

#T=x+x+3+5x+15#

#T=7x+18#

Jun 1, 2017

#7x +18# hours.

The actual time will depend on the value of #x#

Explanation:

We need to write expressions for the times they all practised.

Anne practised for #x# hours

Steve practised for #(x+3)# hours #" "#(3 more than Ann)

Kate practised #5(x+3)# hours #" "# (5 times as long as Steve)

To find how long the practised altogether, add the times together.

#x+x+3 + 5(x+3)#

#=2x+3+5x+15#

#=7x+18# hours

We cannot say exactly how long this is until we know the time that Ann practised, because the value of the expression depends on the value of #x#