Question

Tom sold half of his comic books and then bought 8 more he now has 14. how many did he begin whith

Answer 1

He began with 12.

Explanation:

14-8=6

You need to multiply 6 because he sold half of his comic books at the beginning.

6*2=12

Answer 2

n = number he began with

He sold half: n → n/2

Then he bought 8: n/2 → n/2 + 8

He is left with 14: n/2 + 8 = 14

Solve for n and get

n/2 = 14 - 8 = 6

n/2 = 6

n = 12