There are so many words in this problem that it sounds complicated,
and it's hard to see how simple it really is.
It tells you . . .
She has 'x' male cousins.
She has '2x' female cousins.
So, how many cousins does she have altogether ? (x + 2x) = 3x
Now it tells you . . .
She has less than 23 cousins altogether.
Fine. So 3x is less than 23 .
How do you write that in algebra ?
3x < 23
Isn't it amazing how they can take something so simple
and make it seem so complicated ? ! ?