Answer:
352 children
Step-by-step explanation:
Solve algebraically using a system of equations
Assign variables
let "a" be the number of adults
let "c" be the number of children <-- We want to find this
a + c = 541 Equation for number of people
2.25a + 1.75c = 1041.25 Equation for money
Rearrange the equation for people. Isolate the variable you don't want to find.
a = 541 - c
Substitute "541 - c", replacing "a", in the equation for money
2.25a + 1.75c = 1041.25
2.25(541 - c) + 1.75c = 1041.25 Distribute over brackets
1217.25 - 2.25c + 1.75c = 1041.25 Collect like terms
1217.25 - 0.5c = 1041.25 Simplified equation
Start isolating "c". Move anything that's not "c" to the right side. Move numbers in reverse BEDMAS order. That means we will add/subtract before dividng/multiplying. When moving a number, do its reverse operation to the entire equation.
1217.25 - 0.5c = 1041.25 Do the reverse of positive 1217.25
1217.25 - 1217.25 - 0.5c = 1041.25 - 1217.25 Subtract 1217.25 on both sides
-0.5c = -176 Do the reverse of multiplying by -0.5
-0.5c/-0.5 = -176/-0.5 Divide both sides by -0.5
c = 352 Number of children
Therefore, there were 352 children in the pool.
