The total number of pears eaten by Pete and two of his friends, Tweet and Honk, (during this visit to the pear tree) were in the ratio of 2 : 3 : 5 respectively. If Pete ate 12 less pears than Honk, how many pears did Tweet eat during this time?

P=H-12

but P=2/5 H so
2/5 H=H-12 or
3/5 H=12
H= 5/3 * 12=20
T=3/5 H= 12 check that.

Let's represent the number of pears eaten by Pete, Tweet, and Honk as 2x, 3x, and 5x respectively.

According to the given information, Pete ate 12 less pears than Honk. So, we can write the equation:

3x - 2x = 12

Simplifying the equation:

x = 12

Therefore, Tweet ate 3x = 3 * 12 = 36 pears during this time.

To answer this question, we need to use some algebraic reasoning based on the given information.

Let's assume that Pete ate x pears, Tweet ate y pears, and Honk ate z pears.

According to the given information, the ratio of the number of pears eaten by Pete, Tweet, and Honk is 2:3:5.

This can be written as:
Pete:Tweet:Honk = 2:3:5

We also know that Pete ate 12 fewer pears than Honk, which can be expressed as:
x = z - 12

Now, let's use the ratio to find the relationship between the number of pears eaten by Pete, Tweet, and Honk.

Since the ratio is given in terms of Pete:Tweet:Honk = 2:3:5, we can write it as:
x:y:z = 2:3:5

We can represent the ratio using a proportional equation:
x/y = 2/3
z/y = 5/3

Now, let's solve these equations to find the values of x, y, and z.

From the equation x/y = 2/3, we can cross-multiply and get:
3x = 2y

From the equation z/y = 5/3, we can cross-multiply and get:
3z = 5y

Now, substitute the value of x from the first equation into the second equation:
3(z - 12) = 5y
3z - 36 = 5y
3z = 5y + 36
z = (5/3)y + 12

Since we are looking for the number of pears Tweet ate (y), we can substitute this value into the equation x = z - 12:
x = (5/3)y + 12 - 12
x = (5/3)y

Since Pete ate 12 fewer pears than Honk, we have the equation:
x = z - 12

Now, substituting the value of x = (5/3)y into x = z - 12, we get:
(5/3)y = (5/3)y + 12 - 12
(5/3)y = (5/3)y

We can see that the value of y cancels out, which means y can be any value without affecting the equation. This tells us that there is no specific value for the number of pears Tweet ate (y).

Therefore, based on the given information, we cannot determine the exact number of pears Tweet ate during this time.