Exercise 43 Page 131

Using the given information, we can create three equations to help us find the number of books that Jasmine owns. Let the number of books owned by Brian be B, by Erika be E, and by Jasmine be J.

Now, we need to combine our equations in a way that allows us to solve for J.

Rewriting the Equations

In the first equation, B is expressed in terms of E. In the second equation, J is expressed in terms of B. Using the first equation, we can rewrite J so that it's also expressed in terms of E.

Finding the Number of Books

Now that both J and B are expressed in terms of E, we can replace these variables in the third equation to have one equation that we can solve for E.

Now that we know the value of E, we can use the remaining equations to find B and J.

Therefore, Jasmine has 15 books.