Lizzy: In preparation for the church fundraiser, Julia bakes one less than 5 cakes per day for 6 days. Unfortunately, every other day, Julia's brother, Clifford, sneaks into Julia's house and eats one of Julia's cakes. At the end of 6 days, how many cakes does Julia have remaining?.
Me: Hmmm, let me think. I think this is the detailed solution:
Julia baked one less than 5 cakes per day, or 5 - 1 = 4 cakes per day. For 6 days, Julia baked 4 cakes per day, for a total of 4 * 6 = 24 cakes. Over 6 days, every other day, Clifford sneaks into Julia's house and eats one of Julia's cakes resulting in disappearance of 6 / 2 = 3 cakes. At the end of 6 days, Julia has 24 - 3 = 21 cakes remaining. Final answer: 21.