The high school leadership team is having a car wash. They charge $5.50 for large cars and $4.00 for small cars . They had a successful day, washed a total of 142 cars, and made $652.50. How many large cars and small cars did they wash?

Answer: 56 large cars and 86 small cars.Step-by-step explanation: Let's call: [tex]l[/tex]: the number of large cars. [tex]s[/tex]: the number of small cars. Then, you can set up the following system of equations: [tex]\left \{ {{l+s=142} \atop {5.50l+4.0s=652.50}} \right.[/tex] You can use the Elimination Method: - Multiply the first equation by -4.0 - Add both equations. - Solve for l. [tex]\left \{ {{-4.0l-4.0s=-568} \atop {5.50l+4.0s=652.50}} \right.\\--------\\1.5l=84.5[/tex] [tex]l[/tex]≈[tex]56[/tex] Substitute [tex]l=56[/tex] into one of the original equations and solve for s: [tex]56+s=142\\s=142-56\\s=86[/tex]