SOLUTION: A grocery bag contains apples and oranges. There are 3 more apples than oranges. If 14 more fruit were added, the total number of fruit would be tripled. How many oranges were in t

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Question 881531: A grocery bag contains apples and oranges. There are 3 more apples than oranges. If 14 more fruit were added, the total number of fruit would be tripled. How many oranges were in the bag originally?
Answer by JulietG(1812) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A = R + 3 [use R rather than O for oranges due to confusion with number 0)
A + R + 14 = 3(A + R)
A + R + 14 = 3A + 3R
Substitute the value of A from the first equation into the third.
(R+3) + R + 14 = 3(R+3) + 3R
2R + 17 = 3R + 9 + 3R
2R + 17 = 6R + 9
Subtract 2R from each side.
17 = 4R + 9
Subtract 9 from each side
8 = 4R
Divide each side by 4
2 = R
.
If there are three more apples than oranges, then there are 5 apples.
2 + 5 = 7 pieces total
If 14 are added, there are 21, which is 3 times 7.