If we consider it as a combination problem, then we could calculate the how many combinations are there if we pick up three nodes out of six nodes, and then we have:
And the answer should be 20
Let the amount of shells collected by Aaron be
and the amount of shells collected by Maria be
respectively. Then the following system of equations should be solved:
First of all, express
out of first equation:
Then, replace
in second equation with found expression and solve it:
Finally, replace
in first equation with found value and solve it too:
So, Aaron has found
7 shells while Maria has found
21.