Mrs Lim has some stickers to distribute to the pupils in her class. If she gives each pupil 3 stickers, she will have 18 stickers left. If she gives each pupil 5 stickers, she will need another 30 stickers. How many stickers does Mrs Lim have?

Answer 1

Let's assume Mrs. Lim has x stickers.
When she gives each pupil 3 stickers, she distributes a total of 3 * (number of pupils) stickers.
This means that 3 * (number of pupils) = x - 18.
Similarly, when she gives each pupil 5 stickers, she distributes a total of 5 * (number of pupils) stickers.
This means that 5 * (number of pupils) = x + 30.
Since the number of pupils is the same in both cases, we can equate the two expressions:
3 * (number of pupils) = 5 * (number of pupils) - 48.
Simplifying the equation, we get:
2 * (number of pupils) = 48.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 2, we find that the number of pupils = 48 / 2 = 24.

Substituting this value back into one of the original equations, we can find the number of stickers Mrs. Lim has:
x - 18 = 3 * 24.
Simplifying the equation, we find that x - 18 = 72.
Adding 18 to both sides of the equation, we find that x = 90.

Therefore, Mrs. Lim has 90 stickers. Answer: \boxed{90}.