Aliyah had some candy to give to her four children. She first took ten pieces for herself and then eventually divided the rest among her children. Each child received two pieces. With how many pieces did she start?

Answer: she started with 18 candies.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the number of candies that she started with.

From the total number of candies she had initially, she first took ten pieces for herself. This means that the amount of candies remaining is

x - 10.

She had 4 children. If she eventually divided the rest among her children and each child received two pieces, it means that

(x - 10) / 4 = 2

Cross multiplying by 2, it becomes

x - 10 = 2 * 4

x - 10 = 8

x = 8 + 10

x = 18