document.write( "Question 1210597: Liam and Noah shared a collection of 540 vintage stamps. Liam sold 2/5 fewer stamps than Noah. After the sale, Noah found that the number of stamps he had remaining was exactly 2/3 of the number of stamps he had sold. If Liam’s remaining stamps accounted for 4/7 of the total stamps the two boys possessed at the end, how many stamps did Liam have at first? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #854229 by greenestamps(13351)\"\" \"About 
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\n" ); document.write( "FAULTY DATA!!

\n" ); document.write( "Choose a variable:
\n" ); document.write( "x = number Noah sold

\n" ); document.write( "The number Noah had left was 2/3 the number he sold:
\n" ); document.write( "(2/3)x = number Noah had left

\n" ); document.write( "Liam sold \"2/5 fewer\" than Noah -- i.e., he sold 3/5 AS MANY as Noah:
\n" ); document.write( "(3/5)x = number Liam sold

\n" ); document.write( "Then...

\n" ); document.write( "x + (3/5)x = (8/5)x = total sold

\n" ); document.write( "540-(8/5)x = total remaining

\n" ); document.write( "Liam's remaining stamps were 4/7 of the total remaining, so Noah's remaining stamps were 3/7 of the total remaining:

\n" ); document.write( "\"%282%2F3%29x=%283%2F7%29%28540-%288%2F5%29x%29\"

\n" ); document.write( "multiply by 21 to clear fractions

\n" ); document.write( "\"14x=9%28540-%288%2F5%29x%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"14x=4860-%2872%2F5%29x\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"70x=24300-72x\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"142x=24300\"

\n" ); document.write( "x = 24300/142 = 171 9/71

\n" ); document.write( "Obviously the answer should be a positive integer....

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