If Jake loses 8 pounds, he will weigh half as much as his sister. Together they now weigh 278 pounds. What is Jake's present weight, in pounds?
Choose the correct choice from the following options:
A) 131
B) 135
C) 188
D) 147
E) 188
J = Jake’s current weight, in pounds   S = Sister’s current weight, in pounds   We are told that “If Jake loses 8 pounds, he will weigh twice as much as his sister.We put this into an equation:   J – 8 = S/2   J = S/ + 8 (Equation 1)   Next, we are told that “Together they now weigh 278 pounds.” We can also put this into an equation.   J + S = 278 (Equation 2)   To solve this equation, we can substitute 2S + 8 from Equation 1 for the variable J in Equation 2:   S/2 + 8 = 278-S   3S = 540   S = 90   J + 90 = 278   J = 188   Answer: 188
<result>C</result>
If Jake loses 8 pounds, he will weigh half as much as his sister. Together they now weigh 278 pounds. What is Jake's present weight, in pounds?