Sheet # 58 Perplexing Pencil Problem
Name: _____________________ Date_____________
A person has more than 5 pencils, and a second person has three times as many. The first person gives 5 pencils to the second. Then the second person gives the first person three times as many pencils as the first person had after the initial exchange. How many pencils does the second person have after the second exchange?
Person 1
Person 2
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Transfer 1
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Transfer 2
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It seems weird that no matter how many pencils the first person starts with (as long as it is more than 5), the second person ends up with _____ pencils. Try a few examples and see if it works.