Solve for Boys: Finding 3x Girls in a 28-Student Class Problem

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

• Step 1: Define variables based on the problem.
• Step 2: Set up an equation using the given total and ratio.
• Step 3: Solve the equation to find the number of girls.
• Step 4: Calculate the number of boys using the ratio.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: Let $g$ be the number of girls. According to the problem, there are 3 times as many boys as girls, so the number of boys is $3g$.
Step 2: Since the total number of students is 28, we set up the equation:
$\ g + 3g = 28$
Step 3: Combine like terms to simplify the equation:
$\ 4g = 28$
To solve for $g$, divide both sides by 4:
$\ g = \frac{28}{4} = 7$
Step 4: Calculate the number of boys as $3g$:
$\ 3g = 3 \times 7 = 21$

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 21 boys in the class.