There are three separate, equal-size boxes, and inside each box there are four separate small boxes, and inside each of the small boxes there are three even smaller boxes. how many boxes are there all together?

There are 51 boxes all together.

Step-by-step explanation:

Since there are three separate, equal-size boxes, and inside each box there are four separate small boxes, and inside each of the small boxes there are three even smaller boxes, to determine how many boxes are there all together, the following calculation must be done:

3 + 3 x 4 + 3 x 4 x 3 = X

3 + 12 + 36 = X

51 = X

Therefore, there are 51 boxes all together.

the mistake in the pattern is that :

b. the decimal point was moved one too many place values each time

the correct pattern could be made by :

b. moving the decimal point to the right the same numbers of place values as the exponents