Question

david bought a bag of cookies. he gave \\(\frac{1}{3}\\) of them to jon, and \\(\frac{1}{2}\\) of the remaining cookies to chris, then had 4 cookies left. how many cookies did david buy?
\\(\circ\\) 32
\\(\circ\\) 12
\\(\circ\\) 24
\\(\circ\\) 18

Explanation:

Step1: Define total cookies

Let $x$ = total cookies bought.

Step2: Find cookies left after Jon

Cookies left: $x - \frac{1}{3}x = \frac{2}{3}x$

Step3: Find cookies left after Chris

Cookies left: $\frac{2}{3}x - \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{2}{3}x = \frac{1}{3}x$

Step4: Solve for $x$

Set remaining equal to 4:
$\frac{1}{3}x = 4$
$x = 4 \times 3 = 12$

Answer:

12