Question

Mr. Toshio lent out 11 rulers at the beginning of class, collected 4 rulers in the middle of class, and gave out 7 at the end of class. He had 18 at the end of the day. How many rulers did he start with?

Answer 1

Mr. Toshio had 32 rulers. 32-11 = 21 rulers. 21+4 = 25 rulers. and 25-7 = 18 rulers

Answer 2

Mr. Toshio started with 32 rulers

Explanation:

Let x be the number of rulers he start with

Mr. Toshio lent out 11 rulers at the beginning of class

Number of rulers - 11

`x-11`

He collected 4 rulers in the middle of class. So we add 4

`x-11+4`

He gave out 7 at the end of class. So we subtract 7

`x-11+4-7`

He had 18 at the end of the day.

`x-11+4-7=18`

`x-14=18`

Add 14 on both sides

`x=32`

Mr. Toshio started with 32 rulers