Final answer:
To determine how many eggs are left in the basket after two buyers make purchases, divide the steps into two parts. You know that the first buyer purchases half the contents with one free, and the second buyer purchases half of the remaining contents. The answer is (x/4 - 1/2), where 'x' represents the total number of eggs in the basket.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many eggs are left in the basket, let's start with the total number of eggs in the basket. We'll call this number 'x'.
The first buyer bought 1/2 of the contents of the basket with one free, which means they bought (1/2)x + 1 eggs. This leaves (x - ((1/2)x + 1)) eggs remaining in the basket after the first purchase.
The second buyer then bought one-half of the remaining contents of the basket, which is (1/2)(x - ((1/2)x + 1)) eggs. Simplifying this expression gives us ((1/4)x - 1/2) eggs left in the basket after the second purchase.
Therefore, the answer is ((1/4)x - 1/2), which can be simplified to (x/4 - 1/2).