Hailey read 48 pages of a book this week. blake read half as many as hailey. how many pages did they read combined?

the difference between a number and 5 is -2.

step-by-step explanation:

notice that the equation you are given has -2 (negative 2) on the right side, not 2. when you subtract 5 from a number n, you are finding the difference between the number and 5.

the difference between a number and 5 is -2.

we have three similar triangles, because each has a right angle and shares an angle.   let's write the angles in order: opposite to short leg, long leg, hypotenuse.

cab similar to bad similar to cbd

or as ratios,

ca: ab: cb = ba: ad: bd = cb: bd: cd

we also know

ac = ad + cd

(ad+cd): ab: cb = ba: ad: bd = cb: bd: cd

(ad+cd)/cb=cb/cd

we have cb=6, ad=5 and seek x=cd.

we reject the negative root and conclude x=4

answer: 4