Riddle: A man added 3 more sheep to those already in his barn. He then had 7 times as many sheep as he would have had if he had sold 3 instead of buying 3. How many sheep did he have in the beginning?
Show answer
He had four sheep in the beginning.
Let x be the initial number of sheep.
x + 3 = 7(x – 3)
x + 3 = 7x – 21
24 = 6x
Therefore x = 24/6 = 4.