SOLUTION: A thief steals a number of rare plants from a nursery. On the way out, the thief meets three security guards, one after another. To each security guard, the thief is forced to give

Question 986237: A thief steals a number of rare plants from a nursery. On the way out, the thief meets three security guards, one after another. To each security guard, the thief is forced to give up one-half of the plants that he still has, plus 3 more. Finally, the thief leaves nursery with 2 plants. How many plants were originally stolen? What is the equation(s) I use and how do I solve them? Thank you.
Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

After he went past the 3rd guard, he had 2.

Just before that he had given the 3rd guard 3, so before he did that he had 5.
Just before he had 5 he gave the 3rd guard half of what he had, so he must have had 10.

Before that he gave the 2nd guard 3...

and so on. You can figure out the rest.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

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