Question

Patrick, Paulo, and Joseph divided 68 oranges. Patrick got two oranges less than Paulo and Paulo got twice as much as Joseph. How many oranges did Joseph get?

Answer 1

Let's say patrick=a, paulo=b and joseph=c:

(1) a+b+c=68
(2) a+2=b
(3) b=2c

substituting (2) in (1) gives:

(4) 2a + c = 66 => a = 33 - c/2

(3) in (2) gives:

(5) a+2=2c

(4) in (5):

33 - c/2 + 2 = 2c => 35 = 2.5c => c=14

Joseph got 14 oranges!