Question

Emily bought four boxes. A week later

half of all her boxes were lost during a
move. There are now only 11 boxes left.
With how many did she start?

Answer 1

18

Explanation:

(Note: I'm assuming that "starts out with" refers to the count before buying the four boxes)

Let x be the number of boxes Emily starts out with.

(x + 4) / 2 = 11

`(x)/(2)` +
`(4)/(2)` = 11

`(x)/(2)` + 2 = 11

We multiply both sides by 2 to eliminate the fraction.

x + 4 = 22

x = 22 - 4

x = 18

Answer 2

She had 22 boxes to start