IMPOSSIPUZZLE

Uncle Fred had sent some stamps to his nephews, but a fight soon ensued after the stamps had been divided rather unfairly

between the three of them.

Dad walked in and dealt with the situation. “John will give Ken as many as Ken took. Then Ken will give Colin as many as Colin took, and finally Colin will give John as

many as John will have left.”

A clever scheme, for they all ended up with

24 stamps each!

How many had John taken originally?