Question

In a bakery at night, there are some cupcakes with some flies hovering over them. How many cupcakes are there if both the following statements are true: 1. If each fly lands on a cupcake, one fly doesn’t get a cupcake. 2. If two flies share each cupcake, there is one cupcake left out.​

Answer 1

Cupcakes —> x
Flies —> y

y-x=1 ————1
x-y/2=1 ———1

y-x=x-y/2
2x=3y/2
4x=3x
x=3y/4
Substitute x in For 1

y-3y/4= 1
y/4=1

y= 4
x=3