Question

ryan earns $5 for each small dog he walks and $8 for each large dog he walks. today he walked 8 dogs and made a total of $55. how many small dogs did ryan walk? ryan walked ______ small dogs. the solution is

Explanation:

Step1: Define variables

Let $x$ = number of small dogs, $y$ = number of large dogs.

Step2: Set up system of equations

Total dogs: $x + y = 8$
Total earnings: $5x + 8y = 55$

Step3: Isolate $y$ from first equation

$y = 8 - x$

Step4: Substitute $y$ into second equation

$5x + 8(8 - x) = 55$

Step5: Simplify and solve for $x$

$5x + 64 - 8x = 55$
$-3x = 55 - 64$
$-3x = -9$
$x = \frac{-9}{-3} = 3$

Answer:

3