Question

Edgar had three times as many pairs of sunglasses as his friend Ted. Since Edgar didn't wear all of them regularly, he gave four pairs to Ted. Now they have the same number of pairs. Which equation can you use to find t, the number of pairs Ted had initially? How many pairs of sunglasses did Ted have initially?

Option 1: 3t - 4 = t
Option 2: 4t - 3 = t
Option 3: 3t + 4 = t
Option 4: 4t + 3 = t

Answer 1

The correct equation to find the initial number of pairs of sunglasses Ted had is 3t - 4 = t. After simplifying and solving, we find out that Ted initially had 2 pairs of sunglasses. So the correct answer is Option 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the initial number of pairs of sunglasses Ted had, we can set up an equation based on the given information. Since Edgar had three times as many pairs as Ted initially, we can represent Ted's initial number of pairs as 't'. After Edgar gave four pairs to Ted, they had the same number. The equation that represents this situation is: 3t - 4 = t.

To solve for 't', we can simplify the equation: 3t - 4 = t. Subtracting 't' from both sides, we get: 2t - 4 = 0. Adding 4 to both sides, we get: 2t = 4. Finally, dividing both sides by 2, we find that 't' is equal to 2. Therefore, Ted initially had 2 pairs of sunglasses.