Answer: 942
Detailed explanation: this was quite challenging!
Let’s define x as the amount invested by Sam in the first year.
Here are the corresponding expressions derived from the provided descriptions for Sam's investments.
For Sam:
2nd year: investment = 5x/2 - 2000
3rd year: investment = x/5 + 1000
The total Sam invested is:
x + (5x/2 - 2000) + (x/5 + 1000)
Next, we can form the expressions for Sally’s investments.
For Sally
1st year: investment = 3x/2 - 1000
2nd year: investment = 2x - 1500
3rd year: investment = x/4 + 1400
Thus, Sally's total investment is,
total = (3x/2 - 1000) + (2x - 1500) + (x/4 + 1400)
Setting both totals equal gives us:
(x) + (5x/2 - 2000) + (x/5 + 1000) = (3x/2 - 1000) + (2x - 1500) + (x/4 + 1400)
Solving for x,
x = 2000
For Sally's investment for the third year:
investment = x/4 + 1400 = (2000/4 + 1400) = 1900
RESULTS:
Sam's first year = $2000
Sally's third year = $1900
