Larry had 1/4 as many postcards as Noah. When Noah gave 50% of his postcards to Larry, he had 12 fewer postcards than his friend. How many postcards did Noah have at first?
Let Cards of Noah = x
Cards of Larry = x/4
Noah gave 50% to Larry than
x - x/2 = x/4 + 12
(2x - x)/2 = x/4 + 12
x/2 = (x + 48)/4
4x = 2x + 96
4x - 2x = 96
2x = 96
x = 48
Noah's Cards = 48