Nick had an equal number of cream wafers, chocolate wafers and butter wafers. After he ate 34 cream wafers, some chocolate wafers and butter wafers, there were 77 wafers left. The number of chocolate wafers he ate was twice the number of butter wafers he ate. The number of chocolate wafers left was 24 more than the number of cream wafers left. How many cream wafers were there at first?

	Cream wafers	Chocolate wafers	Butter wafers	Total wafers
Before	1 p + 34	1 p + 2 u + 24	1 p + 2 u + 24
Change	- 34	- 2 u	- 1 u
After	1 p	1 p + 24	1 p + 24 + 1 u	77

Number of chocolate wafers and cream wafers was equal at first.

1 p + 2 u + 24 = 1 p + 34
2 u = 34 - 24
2 u = 10

1 u = 10 ÷ 2 = 5

Total number of wafers in the end
= 1 p + 1 p + 24 + 1 p + 24 + 5
= 1 p + 1 p + 1 p + 24 + 24 + 5
= 3 p + 53

3 p + 53 = 77
3 p = 77 - 53
3 p = 24

1 p = 24 ÷ 3 = 8

Number of cream wafers at first
= 1 p + 34
= 8 + 34
= 42

Answer(s): 42