John has read the first 114 pages of a novel. He has read 3 pages less than one-third the novel. write an equation to describe the total number of pages p in the novel, and find the value of p.

Sagot :

The equation:
[tex]\frac{1}{3}p-3=114[/tex]

The solution:
[tex]\frac{1}{3}p-3=114 \ \ \ |+3 \\ \frac{1}{3}p=117 \ \ \ |\times 3 \\ p=351[/tex]
The total number of pages is 351.
(114+3) * 3 = P

John has read 114 pages                                                                              114
He has read 3 pages less than one-third the novel                              114+3=1/3P
Multiply both sides by 3 gives you your answer                                 (114+3)*3=P