jmc

Question

The letters of the alphabet are each assigned a random integer value, and H=10. The value of a word comes from the sum of its letters' values. If MATH is 35 points, TEAM is 42 points and MEET is 38 points, what is the value of A?

Accepted Answer

MATH is 35 points, and H is 10 points, so MAT is 25 points. TEAM = E + MAT, so E = 42 - 25 = 17 points. MEET is 38 points, and E is 17 points, so MT = 38 - 2 17 = 4 points. Finally, because TEAM = E + MT + A, we can solve for A: 17 + 4 + A = 42, so A= 42 - 17 - 4 = 21 points.