Andy had 1/2 as much money as Brenda. Brenda had 1/2 as much money as Cathy. If Cathy has $78 more than Andy, how much money did they have altogether?
We can write everything in terms of x, the number of money Cathy has.
Cathy = x
Brenda = x/2
Andy = (x/2)/2 = x/4
x = x/4 + 78
3x/4 = 78
x = 104
So, Cathy has $104, Brenda has $52, and Andy has $26. In total, they have $182.