Billy ate 20 apples this week. On Monday, he ate 2 apples. On Tuesday, he ate twice as many as he ate the day before. He’s not sure what he ate on Wednesday. On Thursday, he ate four times as many as he ate on Friday. On Friday, he ate half of the amount he ate on Monday. How many apples did he eat on Wednesday? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. On Tuesday, Billy ate 2 * 2 = 4 apples. On Friday, he ate 2 * 0.5 = 1 apple. On Thursday, he ate 4 * 1 = 4 apples. So for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Billy ate a total of 2 + 4 + 4 + 1 = 11 apples. This means that on Wednesday, he must have eaten 20 – 11 = 9 apples.. The answer is: 9.

James won a money prize at a charity raffle. He donated half of his winnings back to the charity, then spent $2 on a hot dog to celebrate his win. He had $55 left over. How many dollars did he win? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Let W be equal to James’s raffle winnings. He donated half his winnings, so he had W - W / 2 = W / 2 left. He then spent $2 on a hot dog, so W / 2 - 2 = $55. Thus, half his winnings is W / 2 = 55 + 2 = 57. James won W = 57 * 2 = $114.. The answer is: 114.

Hannah is trying to figure out how much she'll get paid this week. She makes $30/hour and works 18 hours per week. Her pay is docked $5 each time she's late. If she was late 3 times this week, how much does she get paid? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Hannah's total earnings are 18 hours * $30 / hour = $540 a week. Her pay was docked because she was late 3 times, so 3 times * $5 per time = $15 were docked. She gets paid $540 - $15 = $525 at the end of the week.. The answer is: 525.