SOLUTION: I ate 1/6 of the apples in the bag, my wife ate 1/5 of what was left, my daughter ate 1/4 of the apples that were left, my son ate 1/3 and my dog ate 1/2 leaving 3 apples. How man

Algebra ->  Numeric Fractions Calculators, Lesson and Practice -> SOLUTION: I ate 1/6 of the apples in the bag, my wife ate 1/5 of what was left, my daughter ate 1/4 of the apples that were left, my son ate 1/3 and my dog ate 1/2 leaving 3 apples. How man      Log On


   

Question 792185: I ate 1/6 of the apples in the bag, my wife ate 1/5 of what was left, my daughter ate 1/4 of the apples that were left, my son ate 1/3 and my dog ate 1/2 leaving 3 apples. How many apples were originally in the bag?

Answer by htmentor(1343) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let A = the original number of apples
If I ate 1/6 then there are 5/6A remaining
Wife ate 1/5 of 5/6A = (1/5)(5/6)A = 1/6A so there are 5/6 - 1/6 = 4/6A remaining
Daughter ate 1/4 of 4/6A = 1/6A so there are 4/6 - 1/6 = 3/6A remaining
Son ate 1/3 of 3/6A = 1/6A so there are 3/6 - 1/6 = 2/6A remaining
Dog ate 1/2 of 2/6A = 1/6A and there are 3 left
So 2/6A - 1/6A = 3
1/6A = 3
A = 18 apples