How do you attack this problem:

"Apples are collected in a basket for 6 people. One-third, one-fourth, one-eighth, and one-fifth are given to four people, respectively. The fifth person gets tens apples with one apple remaining for the sixth person. Find the original number of apples in the basket."

I came up with 1/3x + 1/4x + 1/8x + 1/5x + 11 = x. After using the least common denominator of 120, adding them up to 109/120x, I had:

109/120x + 11 = x.

Then I subtracted 109/120x from x, which resulted in 11/120x. Then I multiplied by 120/11 on both sides, and ended up with x = 1320/121, or 10.90 repeating. This is wrong, as the answer is 120. How do I do this problem?

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Also, if you have a triangle, and the base is 4 inches, one side is 3 inches, one side is 2 inches, and x represents half the height, and the area is 2.9047 inches squared, how do you find X? The answer is ~.65 inches, but using the formula for the area of a triangle, A = 1/2 X b X h, I get:

2.9047 = 1/2 X 4 x 2x, as 2x equals the height. Which equals:

2.9047 = 2 X 2x, 2.9047 = 4x, and then 2.9047/4 = ~.726. However, x does not equal ~.726, but ~.65.

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Excelsior, BS Finance, pursuing degree

Studying:

Completed:
CLEP: Hum. (67), Hist. of U.S. I (74), Hist. of U.S. II (71), Intro. Psych. (69), Intro. Soc. (72), Soc. Sci. and Hist. (74), Western Civ I (72), Western Civ II (70), Am. Lit. (60), Intro. to Educ. Psych. (62), P. of Management (74), P. of Market. (74), Intro. Bus. Law (67), P. of Accounting (60), AmGov (68)
DSST: Ethics in Am. (76), P. of Super.(67), HRM (65), Intro to Bus. (70), MIS (65), P. of Fin (62), M&B (65), P. of Stat. (68)
ECE: OB (B)
TECEP:: IntFin, SecAna

Total Credits: 114