8 cars and 8 vans will be required to accomodate 144 students.
Explanation:
Let x be the number of cars
Let y be the number of vans
According to the question;
x + y = 16 -1
5x + 13y = 144 -2
Multiplying equation 1 by 5. We get
5x + 5y = 80 - 3
Substituting equation 2 and 3
5x + 13y = 144
5x + 5y = 80
_______________
8y = 64
y = 8
Substituting y = 8 in equation 1
x + 8 = 16
x = 8
Therefore, 8 cars and 8 vans will be required to accomodate 144 students.