###Human: Michael’s largest watermelon weighs 8 pounds.  His neighbor, Clay, grew a watermelon three times that size.  And their mutual friend, John, grew a watermelon that was half the size of Clay’s.  How big was John’s watermelon?, ### Assistant: Michael’s watermelon weighs 8 pounds and Clay’s weighs 3 times that so it weighs 8*3 = 24 pounds
John’s watermelon is half the size of Clay’s 24-pound watermelon so it weighs 24/2 = 12 pounds 
 So the answer is :  12