Question

Mary had a sum of money.

She spent $49 on a dress 2/5 of the remaining money on a pair of shoes.
She then had 1/4 of the sum of money left.
How much money did Mary have at first?

Answer 1

$84

Explanation:

Let's assume, Mary had x $

Now we can make an equation:

`x - 49 - (2)/(5) * (x - 49) = (1)/(4) x`

(After she spent $49, she had (x - 49) dollars left)

Let's multiply this whole equation my 20 (since it's a common denominator):

20x - 980 - 8(x - 49) = 5x

20x - 980 - 8x + 392 = 5x

20x - 8x - 5x = -392 + 980

7x = 588 / : 7

x = 84