There were twice as many apples as oranges in a fruit stall. After 15 oranges were sold, there were thrice as many apples as oranges. How many apples were there in the stall at first?

a = 2o

a = 3(o-15)
so o=45 and a=90

Well, it sounds like the fruit stall was quite the lively place! Let me put on my fruity thinking cap to solve this one.

Let's say the number of oranges in the stall at first was "x". Since there were twice as many apples as oranges, we can say that the number of apples was 2x.

After 15 oranges were sold, we're told that there were thrice as many apples as oranges left. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:

2x - 15 = 3(x - 15)

Now, let's solve the equation and uncover the apple mysteries:

2x - 15 = 3x - 45

Rearranging a bit, we have:

x = 30

So, there were 30 oranges at first. Since there were twice as many apples, that means there were 2 x 30 = 60 apples.

Therefore, there were 60 apples in the stall at first. Enjoy your fruity calculations!

Let's break down the information given step-by-step:

Let's assume the number of oranges in the stall initially is 'o'.
According to the given information, there were twice as many apples as oranges, so the number of apples initially is 2 * o = 2o.

After 15 oranges were sold, the number of oranges left in the stall is 'o - 15'.
At this point, there were thrice as many apples as oranges, so the number of apples is 3 * (o - 15) = 3o - 45.

Since we know that initially there were 2o apples, we can equate the two expressions for the number of apples:
2o = 3o - 45.

Simplifying the equation, we get:
2o - 3o = -45,
-o = -45,
o = 45.

So, initially there were 2o = 2 * 45 = 90 apples in the stall.

To find the number of apples in the stall initially, we need to follow the information provided step by step.

Let's assume the initial number of oranges in the stall is denoted by "o" and the initial number of apples is denoted by "a."

According to the given information, "There were twice as many apples as oranges in a fruit stall," we can write the equation:

a = 2o

After 15 oranges were sold, the number of oranges remaining will be (o - 15). And at that point, there were thrice as many apples as oranges, so we can write another equation:

a = 3(o - 15)

Now, we have two equations:

1. a = 2o
2. a = 3(o - 15)

We can solve this system of equations to find the values of "a" and "o."

Substituting the value of "a" from equation 1 into equation 2:

2o = 3(o - 15)

Distribute the 3 on the right side of the equation:

2o = 3o - 45

Subtract 2o from both sides to isolate the "o" term:

2o - 2o = 3o - 45 - 2o
0 = o - 45

Add 45 to both sides to solve for "o":

0 + 45 = o - 45 + 45
45 = o

So, initially, there were 45 oranges in the stall.

Substituting this value back into equation 1 to find the number of apples:

a = 2o
a = 2 * 45
a = 90

Therefore, there were 90 apples in the stall initially.