Problem:
Jack had a bag of apples. He sold of them to Jill. Next he sold of those remaining to June. Of those apples still in his bag, he gave the shiniest one to his teacher. How many apples did Jack have then?
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
Since , Jill bought apples. June bought of the remaining apples or apples. This leaves apples -- one for the teacher and for Jack.
Keep track of the number of apples that Jack has at the end of each transaction:
Answer: .
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions