Question

the store where ted works is having a sale on wooden spoons and spatulas. when his shift started, there were twice as many spatulas as spoons. during his shift, the store sold 32 spatulas and 13 spoons. at the end of ted’s shift, the store had the same number of each item. how many spoons did the store have at the beginning of ted’s shift?
square \text{ spoons}

Explanation:

Step1: Define variables

Let $s$ = initial number of spoons. Initial spatulas = $2s$.

Step2: Calculate final counts

Final spoons: $s -13$. Final spatulas: $2s -32$.

Step3: Set equal and solve

$$\begin{align*} s -13 &= 2s -32 \\ 32 -13 &= 2s -s \\ 19 &= s \end{align*}$$

Answer:

19