to figure out how many peanuts are in the bag

Question

jane bought a bag of peanuts.

philip took 1/3 of the peanuts

joy took 1/4 of the remaining peanuts

brent took 1/2 of the remaining peanuts

There were 71 peanuts remaining in the bag

How many peanuts were originally in the bag?

Answer 1

Let x = original number of peanuts

After Philip takes his share, (2/3)x remains

After Joy takes hers, we have (2/3)x - (1/2)(2/3)x = (1/3)x

After Brent partakes, we have (1/3)x - (1/2)(1/3)x = (1/6)x

So, (1/6)x = 71

x = 426