Between 1497 and 1500, Amerigo Vespucci embarked on two voyages to the New World. According to Vespucci’s letters, the first voyage lasted 43 days longer than the second voyage, and the two voyages combined lasted a total of 1,003 days. How many days did the second voyage last?

Options

A. 460
B. 480
C. 520
D. 540

Explanation

To solve the problem, we need to find out how many days the second voyage lasted. We can break down the solution step by step.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Define Variables**:
Let \( x \) be the number of days the second voyage lasted.

2. **Express the First Voyage in Terms of \( x \)**:
According to the problem, the first voyage lasted 43 days longer than the second voyage. Therefore, we can express the duration of the first voyage as:
\[ y = x + 43 \]
where \( y \) is the number of days the first voyage lasted.

3. **Set Up the Equation for Total Duration**:
We know that the total duration of both voyages combined is 1003 days. This gives us the equation:
\[ x + y = 1003 \]

4. **Substitute \( y \) in the Total Duration Equation**:
Now, we can substitute the expression for \( y \) from step 2 into the equation from step 3:
\[ x + (x + 43) = 1003 \]

5. **Combine Like Terms**:
Simplifying the equation gives:
\[ 2x + 43 = 1003 \]

6. **Isolate \( 2x \)**:
To isolate \( 2x \), subtract 43 from both sides:
\[ 2x = 1003 - 43 \]
\[ 2x = 960 \]

7. **Solve for \( x \)**:
Divide both sides by 2 to find \( x \):
\[ x = \frac{960}{2} \]
\[ x = 480 \]

8. **Conclusion**:
Therefore, the second voyage lasted **480 days**.