A farmer has a total of 20 animals, consisting of chickens and cows. The total number of legs of these animals is 56. How many cows does the farmer have? ______.
Answer & Analysis
Analysis
Question Analysis
This question involves counting two types of animals with different leg counts, needing to find the number of cows. It requires a system of equations based on total animals and total legs.
The main focus is on accounting for the different number of legs (chickens have 2, cows have 4) when forming equations.
Key Concept Explanation
Variables are the number of chickens (c) and cows (w). We use total animals and total legs (with 2 legs per chicken and 4 per cow) to form equations and solve the system.
Step-by-step Solution
1. Define variables: = number of chickens, = number of cows.
2. Set up equations:
Total animals:
Total legs:
3. From the first equation, .
4. Substitute into the second:
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