A man died and left his estate to his wife and two sons.If the wife receives 1/3 of the estate, and each son receives 1/2 of the remainder of the estate, what i

Question

 A man died and left his estate to his wife and two sons.If the wife receives 1/3 of the estate, and each son receives 1/2 of the remainder of the estate, what is the value of the estate if each son receives $4,000 as his share?

Answer 1

Start with the whole estate (1) and subtract 1/3 which is how much the wife receives:

1-1/3=2/3 (2/3 remains after the wife gets her portion)

Now the 2/3 is split in half between two sons so multiply 2/3 by 1/2

2/3 x 1/2 = 2/6 or simplifying: 1/3

Each son receives 1/3 of the remaining estate which is 4000

Now set up the equation:

(1/3)x=4000 Where 'x' is the estate's full value.

Solve for x