Answer:
There were 7 adults and 9 children paying tickets to the magic show
Step-by-step explanation:
System of Equations
A system of equations consists of more than one variable related to more than one equation. The question we're working on requires to know two variables: the number of children and the number of adults that paid to a magic show.
Let's call x to the number of adults and y to the number of children. The first condition states there are a total of 16 persons in the group. This can be written as:
[tex]x+y=16[/tex] [1]
We also know the adult tickets cost $10.50 each and child tickets cost $7.50 each. This means the total amount paid for the tickets is:
[tex]total\ paid = 10.50*x+7.50*y[/tex]
We are given this total, thus
[tex]10.50*x+7.50*y=141[/tex] [2]
The system formed by [1] and [2] must be solved to answer the question. Let's solve [1] for x:
[tex]x=16-y[/tex]
And substitute x in [2]:
[tex]10.50*(16-y)+7.50*y=141[/tex]
Operating:
[tex]10.50*16-10.50*y+7.50*y=141[/tex]
[tex]-10.50*y+7.50*y=141-10.50*16[/tex]
Joining like terms and operating on the right side:
[tex]-3y=-27[/tex]
Solving:
[tex]\displaystyle y=\frac{-27}{-3}[/tex]
[tex]\boxed{y=9}[/tex]
The value of x is calculated by
x=16-y=16-9
[tex]\boxed{x=7}[/tex]
This means there were 7 adults and 9 children paying tickets to the magic show