A man returned from his greenhouse with a small basket of cherries.

To his first friend he gave half his cheries, plus half a pair of cherries, to his second he gave half of what he had left, plus a half a pair of cherries, and to the third he gave half of what he had left, plus half a pair of cherries.

This meant he had no cherries left. How many did he start with?

7 pais of cherries

He gave 14 cherries to his friends as follows:

To the first friend (half of 7) 3 1/2 pairs + 1/2 a pair = 4 pairs (leaving 3 pairs)

To the second friend (half of 3) 1 1/2 pairs + 1/2 a pair = 2 pairs (leaving 1 pair)

To the third friend (half of 1) 1/2 a pair + 1/2 a pair = 1 pair

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