Chloe and Sam had an equal number of apples at first. Chloe bought 3 more apples and Sam bought 23 more
apples. Chloe then had 60% as many apples as Sam. How many apples did Sam have at first?
To solve this problem, let's break it down step by step:
1. Let's start by assuming that Chloe and Sam each had x number of apples at first.
2. After Chloe bought 3 more apples, Chloe would have a total of (x + 3) apples.
3. Similarly, after Sam bought 23 more apples, Sam would have a total of (x + 23) apples.
4. According to the problem, Chloe then had 60% as many apples as Sam. Mathematically, this can be represented as (x + 3) = 0.6 * (x + 23).
5. Now, let's solve the equation to find the value of x.
Expanding the equation:
x + 3 = 0.6x + 13.8
Combining like terms:
x - 0.6x = 13.8 - 3
0.4x = 10.8
Dividing both sides by 0.4:
x = 10.8 / 0.4
x = 27
Therefore, at first, Sam had 27 apples.