Let's solve this step by step! 🎉
**Step 1:** Imagine you have apples 🍎 and bananas 🍌 and coconuts 🥥.
**Box 1:**
Group 1:
🍎 🍌 🍌
(apple + 2 bananas = 18)
**Step 2:** We also have bananas and coconuts:
**Box 2:**
🍎 🍌 🍌
(apple + 2 bananas = 18)
Group 2:
🍌 🥥
(bananas - coconut = 2)
**Step 3:** Now, we want to find:
**Box 3:**
🍌 🥥
(bananas - coconut = 2)
Group 3 (what we want):
🥥 🍎 🍌
(coconut + apple + bananas = ??)
➡️ Let's call apple = $a$, bananas = $b$, coconut = $c$.
1. From Box 1: $a + 2b = 18$
2. From Box 2: $b - c = 2$ so $c = b - 2$
➡️ We want to find: $c + a + b$
Let's replace $c$ in the expression:
$$c + a + b = (b - 2) + a + b = a + 2b - 2$$
From step 1, $a + 2b = 18$, so:
$$a + 2b - 2 = 18 - 2 = 16$$
🎯 **Answer:** The total is $16$!
Great job! You used the clues to find the answer step by step! 🌟🥥 🍎 🍌
(coconut + apple + bananas = ??)