Japheth had an equal number of strawberry puffs, blueberry puffs and butter puffs. After he ate 51 strawberry puffs, some blueberry puffs and butter puffs, there were 56 puffs left. The number of blueberry puffs he ate was thrice the number of butter puffs he ate. The number of blueberry puffs left was 18 more than the number of strawberry puffs left. How many strawberry puffs were there at first?

	Strawberry puffs	Blueberry puffs	Butter puffs	Total puffs
Before	1 p + 51	1 p + 3 u + 18	1 p + 3 u + 18
Change	- 51	- 3 u	- 1 u
After	1 p	1 p + 18	1 p + 18 + 1 u	56

Number of blueberry puffs and strawberry puffs was equal at first.

1 p + 3 u + 18 = 1 p + 51
3 u = 51 - 18
3 u = 33

1 u = 33 ÷ 3 = 11

Total number of puffs in the end
= 1 p + 1 p + 18 + 1 p + 18 + 11
= 1 p + 1 p + 1 p + 18 + 18 + 11
= 3 p + 47

3 p + 47 = 56
3 p = 56 - 47
3 p = 9

1 p = 9 ÷ 3 = 3

Number of strawberry puffs at first
= 1 p + 51
= 3 + 51
= 54

Answer(s): 54