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Solution to the Problem:

The answer is 21.

Let C = cowboy hat
Let H = one horseshoe
Let B = one boot

Then you can write the following equations from the picture :
C + C + C = 30
C + 2H + 2H = 18
2H - 2B = 2
B + C x H = ??

From the first equation, you obtain 3C = 30, so C = 10
In the second equation, we obtain 10 + 4H = 18, so H = 2
In the third equation, 4 - 2B = 2, so B = 1

Substituting in the 4th equation and using the order of operations, you get: 1 + 10 x 2 = 21.

Correctly solved by:

1. Marivi Bungay-Domingo Philippines
2. James Alarie Flint, Michigan
3. Braydon Saxton Mountain View High School,
Mountain View, Wyoming
4. Alyx Wells Mountain View High School,
Mountain View, Wyoming
5. Lila Burkett Mountain View High School,
Mountain View, Wyoming
6. Anna Tetzlaf and Eliza Sheffield Tuscaloosa, Alabama
7. Rosemary Walker Mountain View High School,
Mountain View, Wyoming
8. Brijesh Dave Mumbai city, Maharashtra, India
9. Jim Hooker Johnson City, Tennessee