In his garden, Grandpa had counted 36 small tomatoes before going on vacation. When he came back from vacation, he counted 100 times more tomatoes. How many tomatoes grew in his absence?
Thoughts? Step-by-step reasoning:
Before going on vacation, Grandpa counts 36 tomatoes. After going on vacation, Grandpa has 100 * 36 = 3600 tomatoes. So in his absence, 3600 - 36 = 3564 tomatoes have grown.
Thus, the answer is 3564.