Selma went to the mall and spent 1/3 of her money. She then lost 1/2 of what she had left. She then had $6. How much money did Selma originally have?
after the 1/3, she had 2/3 left
1/2 of that is another 1/3, so if she started out with x,
x - x/3 - x/3 = 6
x = 18
check:
she spent 6, had 12 left.
she lost half of 12, or another 6, leaving her with just 6.