Martin rings the small bell 4 times more than 1/3 as often as the big bell. If he rings both of them a combined total of 52 times, how many times does he ring the big bell? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
Let s be the number of times the small bell rings, and b be the number of times the big bell rings. We know that s + b = 52 and s = 4 + 1 / 3b. Substituting the second equation into the first equation, we get 4 + 1 / 3b + b = 52. Subtracting 4 from both sides, we get 1 / 3b + b = 48. Combining like terms, we get 4 / 3b = 48. Dividing both sides of the equation by 4 / 3, we get b = 36. So, the answer is 36.