In a weight-lifting competition, the total weight of Joe's two lifts was 1800 pounds. If twice the weight of his first lift was 300 pounds more than the weight of his second lift, what was the weight, in pounds, of his first lift?  Answers:
A) 225  B) 275  C) 325  D) 350  E) 700

Rationale: this problem is a general word translation . we first define variables and then set up equations . we can define the following variables : f = the weight of the first lift s = the weight of the second lift we are given that the total weight of joe ' s two lifts was 1800 pounds . we sum the two variables to obtain : f + s = 1800 we are also given that twice the weight of his first lift was 300 pounds more than the weight of his second lift . we express this as : 2 f = 300 + s 2 f – 300 = s we can now plug in ( 2 f – 300 ) for s into the first equation , so we have : f + 2 f – 300 = 1800 3 f = 2100 f = 700 answer is e .
Answer: E