Jake and Don had the same amount of money at first. When Jake gave Don $36, 50% of the amount of money Jake had left was the same as 75% of what Don had left. How much did they have in total at first?
Let the initial amount of money that both Jake and Don had "x".
After Jake gave Don $36, Jake has (x-36) left, and Don has (x+36) left.
It is given that 50% of the amount of money Don had left was the same as 75% of what Jake had left.
0.5x+36=0.75x-36
Solve for x:
0.5x+18=0.75x-27
18+27=0.75x-0.5x
45=0.25x
x=180
Hence, they each had $180 at first.
In total, they have $180 + $180 = $360.
