Question

Darryl had 5 boxes of books with b books in each box. He decided to give away 1 book from each box. After giving away 1 book from each box, he had 30 total books left.
What is the value of b?
30
b−1
b−1
b−1
b−1
b−1

b =

Answer 1

Darryl had 5 boxes of books, with \( b \) books in each box. Therefore, the total number of books before giving any away is:

\[
5b
\]

After giving away 1 book from each of the 5 boxes, he gives away a total of:

\[
5 \times 1 = 5 \text{ books}
\]

The total number of books left after giving away the books is:

\[
5b - 5
\]

According to the problem, after giving away the books, he has 30 books left. Therefore, we can set up the equation:

\[
5b - 5 = 30
\]

To solve for \( b \), first, we add 5 to both sides of the equation:

\[
5b = 30 + 5
\]
\[
5b = 35
\]

Next, we divide both sides by 5:

\[
b = \frac{35}{5}
\]
\[
b = 7
\]

Thus, the value of \( b \) is:

\[
\boxed{7}
\]