Question 1003607
Ali,s cat had a litter of kittens.  She sold half the litter to a pet store.  She gave half of the rest to a neighbor and half of what was then left to her best friend. Ali kept one kitten for herself.  How many kittens were in the original litter?
<pre>Work backwards
Before giving {{{1/2}}} of the remaining cats to friend, she had twice the amount she kept, or 2(1), or 2
Before giving {{{1/2}}} of remaining cats to neighbor, she had twice the previous remaining number, or 2(2), or 4
Before selling {{{1/2}}} of the beginning number of cats, she had twice the previous remaining number, or 2(4), or 8

She started out with {{{highlight_green(8)}}}

OR

After selling {{{1/2}}}, she had {{{1/2}}} left
After giving away {{{1/2}}} of REMAINDER to neighbor, she had {{{1/2}}} of {{{1/2}}}, or {{{1/4}}} left
After giving away {{{1/2}}} of REMAINDER to friend, she had {{{1/2}}} of {{{1/4}}}, or {{{1/8}}} left
She kept {{{1/8}}} which represents 1
We can then say that: {{{(1/8)/1 = 1/C}}}, with C being number of cats she started with
Number she started with, or C = {{{1/(1/8)}}}, or {{{highlight_green(8)}}}