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CEMC Pascal

Algebra Difficulty 1.3 Junior Find the answer

Numbers mm and nn are on the number line. What is the value of n−mn-m?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

On a number line, the markings are evenly spaced. Since there are 6 spaces between 0 and 30, each space represents a change of 306=5\frac{30}{6}=5. Since nn is 2 spaces to the right of 60, then n=60+2×5=70n=60+2 \times 5=70. Since mm is 3 spaces to the left of 30, then m=30−3×5=15m=30-3 \times 5=15. Therefore, n−m=70−15=55n-m=70-15=55.

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