Question: Billy is breeding mice for an experiment. He starts with 8 mice, who each have 6 pups. When the pups grow up, all the mice have another 6 pups. Then each adult mouse eats 2 of their pups due to the stress of overcrowding. How many mice are left? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
First find the number of pups in the first generation: 8 mice * 6 pups / mouse = 48 pups. Then add the number of adult mice to find the total number of mice: 48 pups + 8 mice = 56 mice. Then find the number of pups per mouse that survive from the second generation: 6 pups / mouse - 2 pups / mouse = 4 pups / mouse. Then multiply that number by the number of adult mice to find the number of pups in the second generation: 56 mice * 4 pups / mouse = 224 mice. Then add the number of adult mice to the number of second - generation pups to find the total number of mice: 224 mice + 56 mice = 280 mice. So the answer is 280.