Paul and his sister Paula went to the cookie store to buy some cookies. Paula bought 3 fewer cookies than Paul, who bought 45 cookies. How many cookies do they have altogether? Let's think first. Chain of thought:
User
Paula bought 45 cookies - 3 cookies = 42 cookies. In total, they have 42 cookies + 45 cookies = 87 cookies.
Therefore, the answer is 87.
Assistant