fraction problem sum

Question

adeline and betty shared a sum of $800. adeline gave 3/5 of what she had to betty. betty later gave 1/5 of what she had back to adeline. they ended up with equal amounts of money. how much did adeline have at first?

Answer 1

You just have to work backwards.

 

$800/2 = $400 each at the end

 

400 is to 4/5 as x is to 1

.8x = 400

x = $500 that Betty had before giving $100 (1/5) to Adeline

 

Adeline had $300 after giving Betty 3/5

300 is to 2/5 as x is to 1

.4x = 300

x = $750 that Adeline had to begin with.