Question

Please help me write and solve an equation for this problem below:


While Michelle sat observing birds at a bird feeder, one fourth of the birds flew away when they were startled by a noise. Two birds left the feeder to go to another stationed a few feet away. Three more birds flew into the branches of a nearby tree. Four birds remained at the feeder. How many birds were at the feeder initially?

Answer 1

Hey, the answer is 36 birds. The equation is "0.25x - 2 - 3 = 4"

We have 0.25x because x resembles the amount of birds that were there in the beginning. A fourth flew away, which explains the 0.25 or one-fourth. After that, 2 birds flew away, followed by another 3.