Big Brownies
Solution
Brenda ate 
of her brownie.
Craig ate 
of his brownie.
Jon ate 
of his brownie.
Matt ate 
of his brownie.
Tommy ate 
of his brownie.
Explanation
Using the Clues
Make a chart with the fractions of brownies eaten shown in order from least to greatest.
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|
|
|
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| Brenda | X | ||||
| Craig | X | ||||
| Jon | X | X | |||
| Matt | X | X | |||
| Tommy | X |
Jon ate the same amount as Matt.
The two amounts that are the same are and .
We can't tell yet which person ate which of these two amounts.
Tommy ate more than Matt did.
The only amount more than or is .
So Tommy must have eaten of his brownie.
Brenda ate more than Craig ate.
The only amounts left are and .
One fourth is greater than .
So Brenda must have eaten of her brownie.
Craig must have eaten of his brownie.
Matt's brownie was cut into more pieces than Jon's.
Matt must have eaten , because that brownie was cut into 4 pieces.
Jon must have eaten , because that brownie was cut into 2 pieces.