Final answer:
To find out how much snow the mountains received, we can set up an equation based on the relationship between their snowfall and the valley's snowfall. By solving the equation, we can find the amount of snow received in the mountains. In this case, the mountains received 28 inches of snow.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we can set up an equation to represent the relationship between the mountains' and valley's snowfall. Let's say the amount of snow received in the valley is represented by 'x'. According to the problem, the mountains received 4 times the amount of snow the valley received, so the amount of snow received in the mountains would be 4x.
Given that the difference in snowfall was 21 inches, we can set up the equation 4x - x = 21 inches.
Simplifying the equation, we get 3x = 21. Dividing both sides by 3, we find that x = 7 inches. Therefore, the mountains received 4 times that, which is 28 inches of snow.