Linear Condition — Reduced to One-Third After Subtracting 48 A number becomes one-third of itself when 48 is subtracted from it. What is two-thirds of that original number?

Introduction / Context:Here you translate a verbal condition into a simple linear equation and then compute a requested fraction of the found number. This checks your comfort with algebraic manipulation and careful reading—especially verifying that the requested final quantity appears among the options.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Let the number be N.
• Subtracting 48 yields one-third of itself: N − 48 = N/3.
• We must find 2N/3 (two-thirds of N).

Concept / Approach:Solve the linear equation to get N. Then compute the requested fraction 2N/3. Always compare the derived value to the choices; if it is not listed explicitly, the correct selection is “None of these.”

Step-by-Step Solution:Start: N − 48 = N/3.Rearrange: N − N/3 = 48 → (2N/3) = 48.Therefore, 2N/3 = 48 immediately.Hence N = (48 * 3)/2 = 72, and two-thirds of N is 48.

Verification / Alternative check:Check the original statement with N = 72: 72 − 48 = 24 and N/3 = 24, consistent. Thus 2N/3 = 48 is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:24, 72, and 36 represent N/3, N, or other misread values. Since 48 (the true two-thirds) is not among the listed options, “None of these” is the only correct choice.

Common Pitfalls:Selecting 72 (the value of N) instead of two-thirds of N; stopping at N without computing the asked quantity; overlooking that the exact computed result is absent from the choices.

Final Answer:None of these