James and Ali together own $250. If you know that James owns $40 more than Ali, then calculate the amount owned by James. Give me reasons, before answering the question
Let X be the amount owned by James. The amount owned by Ali is X - $40. The total amount owned by both of them X + (X - $40) = $250. Combining like terms, we get X * 2 - $40 = $250. Adding $40 to both sides, we get X * 2 = $290. Dividing both sides by 2, we get X = $145. So the final answer is 145.