Ethan had
38 as many pens as Cindy. After Ethan bought another 32 pens, he had 13 less pens than Cindy. How many pens did Ethan have at first?
|
Ethan |
Cindy |
Before |
3 u |
8 u |
Change |
+ 32 |
|
After |
3 u + 32 |
8 u |
Cindy had 13 more pens than Ethan in the end. So, if Ethan had another 13 pens, he would have the same number of pens as Cindy.
8 u = 3 u + 32 + 13
8 u - 3 u = 32 + 13
5 u = 45
1 u = 45 ÷ 5 = 9
Number of pens that Ethan had at first
= 3 u
= 3 x 9
= 27
Answer: 27