Question

A hen laid some eggs. After a few days, 16 eggs were hatched. There were 9 more eggs yet to be hatched. What is the equation that represents the total number of eggs the hen laid?

• A. $x+16=9$
• B. $x-9=16$
• C. $x-16=9$

Answer 1

The correct option is C $x-16=9$

Let's denote that total number of eggs $=x$.

Total number of eggs that are already hatched $=16$

If the number of already hatched eggs is subtracted from the total number of laid eggs, it will result the number of eggs that are yet to hatch.

$\therefore$ Number of eggs that are yet to hatch $=x-16$

Given: There are 9 eggs left that are yet to be hatched.
$\Rightarrow x-16=9$
This is the required equation.

Suppose, the hen laid total 25 eggs, i.e., $x=25$.

To check the validity of the assumption we substitute the value of x in the above equation.
$x-16=9$
$\Rightarrow 25-16=9$
$\Rightarrow 9=9$
$\Rightarrow \text{Left hand side}=\text{Right hand side}$

Hence, the assumption of $x=25$ is correct.