The number of soldiers on opposite sides of a war each needs 10 pounds of food every day to continue fighting effectively. However, soldiers in the second are each given 2 pounds less food than the first side. If the first side has 4000 soldiers and the other side 500 soldiers fewer than the first side, what's the total amount of pounds of food both sides are eating altogether every day?
Thoughts? Step-by-step reasoning:
The first side with 4000 soldiers is eating 4000 * 10 = 40000 pounds of food every day. Since the other side has 500 soldiers fewer than the first side, there are 4000 - 500 = 3500 soldiers on the second side. Soldiers on the second side are each given 10 - 2 = 8 pounds of food. The total amount of food the second side eats is 8 * 3500 = 28000. Altogether, the two sides eat 28000 + 40000 = 68000 pounds of food every day.
Thus, the answer is 68000.