Question

Sam started with 18 baseball cards and gave away x pieces. Alex started with 22 baseballs and gave away twice as many baseball cards as Sam. How many baseball cards did Same give away if they had the same number of baseball cards left?

Answer 1

Sam started with 18 baseball cards and gave away x cards, while Alex started with 22 and gave away twice as many. To find out how many cards Sam gave away, we set up an equation (18 - x = 22 - 2x) and solve it to find that Sam gave away 4 baseball cards.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject in question involves setting up and solving a mathematics problem involving algebra and understanding the concept of equality. We are given that Sam started with 18 baseball cards and Alex started with 22 baseball cards. The problem states that Sam gave away x cards, and Alex gave away twice as many. They are left with the same number of cards. Using this information, we can set up the following equations:

Sam's cards: 18 - x

Alex's cards: 22 - 2x

Since they both have the same number of cards left, we can equate these two expressions: 18 - x = 22 - 2x. To find the value of x, we can solve the equation:

1. Add x to both sides: 18 = 22 - x
2. Subtract 22 from both sides: -4 = -x
3. Multiply both sides by -1 to find x: x = 4

Therefore, Sam gave away 4 baseball cards.