Final answer:
To find out how much money Spencer had at first, use the given information to set up and solve an equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much money Spencer had at first, we can use the information provided. He spent 1/3 of his money on entertainment and 1/12 on books, and he was left with $140. Let's denote his initial amount of money as x. From the given information, we can set up the equation: x - (1/3)x - (1/12)x = $140. To solve for x, we need to simplify the equation and solve for x. Simplifying the equation, we get: (12/12)x - (4/12)x - (1/12)x = $140.
Combining like terms, we have: (7/12)x = $140. To isolate x, we multiply both sides of the equation by 12/7, giving us: x = ($140 * 12/7). Evaluating the expression, we get x = $240. Therefore, Spencer had $240 at first.