The combined area of new york and california is 204,192 square miles. the area of california is 108,530 square miles more than that of new york. find the land area of each state

Let's call the area of New York x and the area of California y.

x+y=204,192

y=108,530+x

Subtract x from each side of x+y=204,192.

y=204,192-x

Now, since both of the equations equal y, you can set the two equations equal to each other.

204,192-x=108,530+x

Add x to both sides.

204,192=108,530+2x

Subtract 108,530 from both sides.

95,662=2x

Divide both sides by 2.

47,831=x

Now, we can plug 47,831 into either of the equations for x to solve for y.

(47,831)+y=204,192

Subtract 47,831 from both sides.

y=156,361

The land area of California (y) is 156,361 square miles.

The land area of New York (x) is 47,831 square miles.

Hope this helps :)