Mindy and Troy combined ate 9 pieces of the wedding cake. Mindy ate 3 pieces of cake and Troy had 1/4 of the total cake. Write an equation to determine how many pieces of cake (c) left there were in total. what is the total number of pieces of cake?

2 Answers
Apr 11, 2018

24 pieces total,
R = 3tot/4-3

Explanation:

m = Mindy
t = troy
tot = total number of pieces
R = remaining amount

So we know that Mindy and ate a combined number of thirteen pieces:

#m+t = 9#

We also know Mindy ate 3:
#m = 3#
and Troy ate #1/4# of the total number:
t = tot#/4#

so after combining:

3 + tot/4 = 9

now we solve for tot:

tot/4 = 6
tot = 24

So there is a total of 24 pieces.

R = tot - (tot/4+3)

R = 3tot/4-3

R = 15

Apr 11, 2018

First, we need to find out how many pieces of cake Troy ate.

If Mindy and Troy at #9# pieces, and Mindy at #3# of them, Tony must have eaten #6# pieces. If #6# pieces of cake is #1/4# of the whole, then we now know everything we need to write an equation:

#c = (4 xx 6) - 9#

where cake is equal to #4# quarters of #6# pieces of cake (6 + 6 + 6 + 6) without the #9# pieces Mindy and Troy ate.

So, #c = 24-9 = 15#

There #15# pieces of cake leftover.

The total number of pieces of cake is #24#