Benjie is five years older than Margo. If Benjie is 6 years old, how old will Margo be in three years? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Margo is 6 - 5 = 1 year old now. So, Margo will be 1 + 3 = 4 years old in three years.. The answer is: 4.

Jenny's property tax rate is 2%. Her house is currently worth $400,000. The city is about to build a new high-speed rail project nearby, which will increase her house's value by 25%. Jenny can only afford to spend $15,000/year on property tax. How many dollars worth of improvements can she make to her house before her property tax bill gets too high? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. First find how much the rail project will increase the house value by multiplying the initial value by 25%: $400,000 * .25 = $100,000. Then add that amount to the initial value to find the new value: $100,000 + $400,000 = $500,000. Then divide the maximum amount of property tax Jenny can afford to pay by the property tax rate to find the maximum value her house can have: $15,000 / .02 = $750,000. Now subtract the house's value after the rail project from the maximum value to find how much value the improvements can have: $750,000 - $500,000 = $250,000.. The answer is: 250000.

Andrew installed hardwood flooring in his house. His bedroom took eight wooden planks, his living room took twenty planks, and his kitchen took eleven planks. The guest bedroom took two fewer planks than Andrew’s bedroom, and each of his two hallways took four planks. He accidentally ruined three planks in each bedroom by dragging furniture over them and had to replace them. He ended up with six leftover planks at the end. How many wooden planks did Andrew buy to start with? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Andrew’s guest bedroom took 8 - 2 = 6 wooden planks. His hallways took 2 * 4 = 8 planks. In two bedrooms, he ruined 3 planks each, so the bedrooms took an extra 3 * 2 = 6 planks. In all, he used 8 + 20 + 11 + 6 + 8 + 6 = 59 planks for his whole house. Andrew had 6 leftover planks, so he bought 59 + 6 = 65 wooden planks to start with.. The answer is: 65.