Question

Mary is thinking of a mystery number. She reduces it by 15% then subtracts 5. The result is 29. Determine the mystery number

Answer 1

40

Explanation:

Let x represent the mystery number.

Create an equation to represent the situation, then solve for x:

0.85x - 5 = 29

0.85x = 34

x = 40

So, the mystery number is 40.