Question

Mr. Toshio lent out 11 rulers at the beginning of class, collected 4 rulers in the middle of class, and gave out 7 at the end of class. He had 18 at the end of the day. How many rulers did he start with?

Answer 1

Mr. Toshio had 32 rulers. 32-11 = 21 rulers. 21+4 = 25 rulers. and 25-7 = 18 rulers

Answer 2

Answer:

Mr. Toshio started with 32 rulers

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x be the number of rulers he start with

Mr. Toshio lent out 11 rulers at the beginning of class

Number of rulers - 11

$x-11$

He  collected 4 rulers in the middle of class. So we add 4

$x-11+4$

He gave out 7 at the end of class. So we subtract 7

$x-11+4-7$

He had 18 at the end of the day.

$x-11+4-7=18$

$x-14=18$

Add 14 on both sides

$x=32$

Mr. Toshio started with 32 rulers