Al has twice as many baseball cards as frank and four times as many football cards as Joe. The expression 2x + 4y can be used to show the total number of baseball and football cards all has. if the answer is y, then what is the question

Question

Al has twice as many baseball cards as frank and four times as many football cards as Joe.  The expression 2x + 4y can be used to show the total number of baseball and football  cards all has.  if the answer is y, then what is the question

directrix · Answer

Let x = number of Frank's baseball cards

Then, how many baseball cards does Al have ?    @TaylerV22

directrix · Answer

Take an educated guess. Let's work together. It's okay if you guess is wrong. Just post it.

directrix · Answer

Hint: Al has twice as many baseball cards as frank

anonymous · Answer

Y=8

directrix · Answer

If Frank has x cards and Al has twice as many, then Al has 2x cards.

I don't see any way to know from the problem that Al has 8 cards.

directrix · Answer

Let y be the number of football cards that Joe has.
 Al has four times as many football cards as Joe has.

Then, in terms of y, how many football cards does Al have? @TaylerV22

directrix · Answer

@TaylerV22   OpenStudy rules do not allow me to just give you the answer. If you would work with me, we could finish this problem in just a minute or two.

anonymous · Answer

I've tried everything and the only way I can figure this would work is if frank had 0 cards

anonymous · Answer

And Al had 4 cards

directrix · Answer

@TaylerV22 
Please forget about how many cards anybody has. 

Please -> if you would just answer the questions I ask, we'll get where we're supposed to go.

directrix · Answer

I'm not asking for a specific number of cards. I'm asking "in terms of y."
Please read what I am asking you. Thanks.

Let y be the number of football cards that Joe has.
 Al has four times as many football cards as Joe has.

**Then, in terms of y, how many football cards does Al have?** @TaylerV22

anonymous · Answer

4y

directrix · Answer

Good.  So (2x + 4y) is the total number of cards.

If the answer to some mystery question is y, then the mystery question has to be the following: "How many football cards did Joe have?"

I have to say -- this is a strange problem which, I think, is why you had trouble with it.

anonymous · Answer

Thank you!  I was trying to figure out the value of y.

directrix · Answer

Glad to help. There's no way to get a specific number for y with the given information.