Step-by-Step Way to Solve
The puzzle gives us these clues:
- The cat and mouse together weigh 8 kg.
- The dog and mouse together weigh 11 kg.
- The dog and cat together weigh 15 kg.
We need to find the combined weight of the cat, mouse, and dog.
Let’s assign variables to represent each character. Let the cat be C, the mouse be M, and the dog be D.
Based on the clues, we can write these equations:
- C + M = 8
- D + M = 11
- D + C = 15
To find the combined weight of all three (C + M + D), we’ll add these three equations together:
(C + M) + (D + M) + (D + C) = 8 + 11 + 15
Simplifying this gives us: 2C + 2M + 2D = 34.
Then, we divide by 2 to get: C + M + D = 17.
So, the combined weight of the cat, mouse, and dog is 17 kg.