16Hit1600
AlgebraEasyStarting amount from a halving and a gain

Algebra practice question

Lena gave half of her sweets to her brother and then received 3 more sweets, leaving her with 8. How many sweets did she start with?

Answer: 10

n/2 + 3 = 8 gives n/2 = 5, so n = 10.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 5
5 is the amount she had after giving half away.
If you answered 16
16 doubles 8 without removing the 3.
If you answered 22
22 adds 3 and doubles instead of subtracting 3 first.

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