Let's assume
total number of pieces in a cake is x
Gabe eats another fourth of the whole cake
so,
Gabe eats
[tex]=\frac{1}{4} x[/tex]
cedric eats 3 pieces
so,
Cedric and Gade together eat
[tex]=\frac{1}{4} x+3[/tex]
we are given
Cedric and Gabe eat 9 pieces cake together
so, we can set them equal
and we get
[tex]\frac{1}{4} x+3 =9[/tex]
now, we can solve for x
Subtract both sides 3
[tex]\frac{1}{4} x+3-3 =9-3[/tex]
[tex]\frac{1}{4} x =6[/tex]
Multiply both sides by 4
[tex]\frac{1}{4} x*4 =6*4[/tex]
[tex] x =24[/tex]
so,
total number of pieces are 24.........Answer