Three friends went out to lunch. They each started with the same amount of money, and they each spent $9. They ended with a combined total of $18. How much money did each of them have to start?

Answer 1

each spent $9 for a total of 3 times $9 = $27. They ended with $18 so they originally had

$27 + $18 = $45. Divide by 3 to get $15 each at the start