Question

candace has some apples. she picks 9 more apples. she now has 71 apples.
part a: write an equation to represent the total number of apples, $a$, that candace has before she picks 9 more apples.

part b: valerie thinks candace had 62 apple to start and zharma thinks she had 80 apples. who is correct?
a valerie
b zharma

Explanation:

Step1: Define variable and set up equation

Let $a$ = initial apple count. Add 9 picked apples to get total 71:
$a + 9 = 71$

Step2: Solve for initial apple count

Subtract 9 from both sides:
$a = 71 - 9 = 62$

Step3: Match to correct person

62 matches Valerie's claim.

Answer:

Part A: $a + 9 = 71$
Part B: A. Valerie