A man has hens and cows. If the total number of heads is 48 and the total number of feet is 140, how many hens are there?

Given data

• Let hens = h (2 feet), cows = c (4 feet).
• Heads: h + c = 48
• Feet: 2h + 4c = 140

Concept / Approach

• Solve the linear system (or use the substitution/elimination method).

Step-by-step calculation
Divide feet equation by 2: h + 2c = 70Subtract heads: (h + 2c) − (h + c) = 70 − 48 ⇒ c = 22Then h = 48 − 22 = 26

Verification
Feet: 2×26 + 4×22 = 52 + 88 = 140 ✔

Final Answer
26