Answer:
There were 12 gold coins in the chest at the start.
Step-by-step explanation:
1. Let's review the information given to us to answer the question correctly:
x = Number of gold coins in a chest
1/2x = Number of gold coins taken by the captain
1/4x = Number of gold coins taken by Sally
3 = Number of gold coins left
2. How many coins were in the chest at the start?
Let's write the following equation to solve for x:
1/2x + 1/4x + 3 = x
2x + x + 12 = 4x (Lowest Common Denominator is 4)
4x - 2x - x = 12 (Like terms)
x = 12
There were 12 gold coins in the chest at the start.
