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out of a swarm of bees one fifth part settled on a kadamba blossom; one third on a silihindra flower; three times the difference of those numbers flew to the bloom of a kutaja. one bee, which remained, hovered about in the air. tell me, charming woman, the number of bees

1 Answer

1 vote
setting things up:
let x be the # of bees in the swarm, then


(x)/(5)+(x)/(3)+3((x)/(3)-(x)/(5))+1=x

multiply across by 15

3x+5x+3(5x-3x)+15=15x

8x+3(2x)+15=15x

8x+6x+15=15x

14x+15=15x

15=x\leftrightarrow x=15
User Jacob Walls
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