how many originally?

Question

Eric collected 1 1/3 times as many beads as Malik in the beginning. If Eric collected 48 more beads and Malik collected 13 more beads, Eric would have twice as many beads as Malik. How many beads did they collect altogether in the beginning?

Answer 1

Let  E and M be the numbers of beads.

E=4M/3

E+48=2(M+13)=2M+26

Substitute for E: 4M/3+48=2M+26

22=2M/3

11=M/3 so M=33 and E=44

Together they had E+M=77 beads.