Please help -
In a stationery shop, there were pens, erasers and rulers. There were thrice as many pens as erasers and thrice as many erasers as rulers at first.After the shop keeper sold 6 rulers and some erasers there were thrice as many pens as erasers but 4 times as many erasers as rulers. What was the total number of stationeries in the shop at first?
this is just like your last problem with the fruits. Try writing down in algebra what they told you. Come back if you get stuck, but show how far you got.
To solve this problem, we need to break it down into steps and analyze the information given.
Let's assume the number of rulers in the shop at first is 'x.'
According to the problem, there were thrice as many erasers as rulers at first. So, the number of erasers initially would be 3x.
Also, there were thrice as many pens as erasers at first. Therefore, the number of pens initially would be 3 times the number of erasers, which is (3 * 3x) = 9x.
After selling 6 rulers and some erasers, the number of rulers remaining in the shop would be (x - 6).
At this point, there were 4 times as many erasers as rulers. Therefore, the number of erasers would be 4 times the number of rulers remaining, which is 4 * (x - 6).
It is given that there were thrice as many pens as erasers. So, the number of pens remaining would be 3 times the number of erasers, which is 3 * 4 * (x - 6) = 12 * (x - 6).
Now, let's find the total number of stationery items at first:
Total = Number of rulers + Number of erasers + Number of pens
Total = x + (3x) + (9x)
Total = 13x
Therefore, the total number of stationery items in the shop at first is 13x.
To find the value of 'x' and, consequently, the total number of stationery items, we need more information.