Question

Sam bought 7 new baseball trading cards to add to his collection. The next day his dog ate half of his collection. There are now only 26 cards left. How many cards did sam start with?

Answer 1

He started with... 38 

Answer 2

Sam has 26 cards left after half was eaten.
26 x 2 = 52 cards after buying 7 cards.
52 - 7 = 45 cards before buying cards.

Sam originally started with 45 cards.

45+7=52, 52/2=26