A boy has 12 oranges. He gives one-third of this number to his brother, one-fourth of the remainder to his friend and keeps the rest for himself. How many does his friend get? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
He gives a third of 12 oranges to his brother which is 12 * (1 / 3) = 4 oranges. He has 12 - 4 = 8 oranges left. He gives a fourth of 8 oranges to his friend which is 8 * (1 / 4) = 2 oranges. So, the answer is 2.