Mateo played the same card game that Jill played. (other story problem red cards r - and yellow cards r +) He drew some cards. After he drew 7 red cards, he gave back 2 yellow cards. His final score was -3. What was his score before he drew the 7 red cards?
To solve this problem, we need to analyze the given information step by step.
1. Let's assume Mateo's score before he drew the 7 red cards was "x".
2. When he drew 7 red cards, he added -7 to his score, resulting in x - 7.
3. Afterward, he gave back 2 yellow cards, which means he added +2 to his score, resulting in x - 7 + 2 = x - 5.
4. Lastly, his final score was -3, so we can equate this to the value after he returned the yellow cards:
x - 5 = -3.
To find Mateo's score before he drew the 7 red cards (x), we can solve the equation:
x - 5 = -3.
Adding 5 to both sides of the equation, we get:
x = -3 + 5.
Simplifying further:
x = 2.
Therefore, Mateo's score before he drew the 7 red cards was 2.