Question

Sue counted the turtles and birds in the pond. She counted 14 heads and 44 legs.

How many turtles did Sue count?

Answer 1

4 legs for each turtle (x)
2 legs for each bird (y)
44 legs total
x+y=14
4x+2y=44

(-2) (x+y=14) = -2x-2y=-28

-2x-2y=-28
4x+2y=44
^ add these 2 equations together
2x=16
x=8
Now substitute back into the original problem
x+y=14
8+y=14
-8 -8
y=6

8 turtles, 6 birds