Think of a number. Double the number. Add 200. Divide the answer by 4. Subtract one-half the original number. What is the value of the result?
Let's call the original number x. Then, following the instructions, we get: (2x + 200) / 4 - x / 2. To simplify this expression, we can find a common denominator of 4 for the fractions and combine like terms. We get: (2x + 200 - 2x) / 4, which simplifies to 200 / 4, or 50. So the value of the result is 50, regardless of the original number. 