Question

Sue has 12 baseball cards. She buys four packs of cards, and then she has a total of 36 cards. Which of the following represents the given situation?
4x + 12 = 36
4x - 12 = 36
x + 12 = 36
x - 12 = 36

Answer 1

To represent the situation mathematically, we can let \( x \) be the number of cards in each pack that Sue buys.

Sue starts with 12 baseball cards and buys 4 packs of cards. The total number of cards she has after purchasing these packs can be expressed as:

\[
\text{Total cards} = \text{Existing cards} + \text{Cards from packs}
\]
\[
\text{Total cards} = 12 + 4x
\]

We know that after buying the packs, the total number of cards Sue has is 36. So we can set up the equation:

\[
12 + 4x = 36
\]

To solve for \( x \), we can rearrange this equation. However, to match it with the options provided, we can subtract 12 from both sides:

\[
4x = 36 - 12
\]
\[
4x = 24
\]

Now, if we look at the original equation we formed (12 + 4x = 36), it is not one of the specific choices you provided. However, we can infer the correct option.

We deduced that:

\[
4x + 12 = 36
\]

This corresponds to the first option in your list, which is:

**4x + 12 = 36**

So the answer is:

**4x + 12 = 36**