Question. Jillian, Savannah, and Clayton were collecting shells on the beach. Jillian collected 29, Savannah collected 17, and Clayton collected 8. They decided that they wanted to give the shells to two of their friends who had just arrived. They put their shells together and distributed them evenly to each friend. How many shells did each friend get?
Answer. 27
What step-by-step reasoning justifies that answer?
Reasoning: The kids collected 29 + 17 + 8 = 54 shells. If they distribute the shells evenly between 2 friends, 54 / 2 = 27 shells for each friend.