A total of 598 tickets were sold for the school play. They were either adult tickets or student tickets. There were 52 fewer student tickets sold than adult tickets. How many adult tickets were sold?

325 adult tickets were sold.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the answer we'll have to use an equation.

Let's use x for adult tickets and y for student tickets.

We know that 598 = x + y

We also know that x - 52 = y

So, let's replace y in the original equation with the expression x - 52

598 = x + (x - 52)

Now we need to isolate the x variable to find the amount of adult tickets sold.

598 = x + x - 52

Combine like terms: 598 = 2x - 52

Add 52 to both sides to isolate the 2x: 650 = 2x

Divide both sides by 2 to isolate the x: 325 = x

325 adult tickets were sold.