Fred bought five new baseball trading cards to add to his collection. The next day his dog ate half of his collection. There are now only thirty-seven cards left. How many cards did Fred start with?

Question

Fred bought five new baseball trading cards to add to his collection. The next day his dog ate half of his collection. There are now only thirty-seven cards left. How many cards did Fred start with?

Answer 1

(x+5)/2 = 37

x+5 = 2(37) = 74

x = 74-5 = 69 cards he started with before the dog got hungry

(69+5)/2 = 74/2 = 37. dog ate 37, leaving 37