The Congress of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Find the difference in years between the year that the Congress signed this document and the year that you were born.

Question

The Congress of the United States signed the Declaration of Independence  in 1776. Find the difference in years between the year that the Congress  signed this document and the year that you were born.

anonymous · Answer

Take whatever year you were born in and subtract 1776.

anonymous · Answer

Ok what year were you born in?

anonymous · Answer

it need to be in an equation form

anonymous · Answer

let x = year you were born
let y = year congress singed the declaration

anonymous · Answer

y=x-1776. 
Where y is the difference and x is the year you were born.

anonymous · Answer

would this be right x=1776+ 2001

anonymous · Answer

or halo's way is actually better

anonymous · Answer

No, you'd be adding 1776 to 2001. That is definitely not the difference.

anonymous · Answer

thats why i'm confused because then i have to solve it by doing the same on both sides.

anonymous · Answer

I was born in 1997.
1997-1776=221
So there is 221 years between the year the constitution was signed and the year I was born. Does that make sense?

anonymous · Answer

yea it does but not when i have to write out the equation and then solve it

anonymous · Answer

if i wrote y= 2001 -1776 for the equation then i write it out  then under it i have to do the oppiste it adding it doesnt work

anonymous · Answer

right if its subtracation i need to do the oppiste addition to balance out the sides. Its asking for the difference which is to subtract.