1. Stating the problem: Mr. Mensah withdrew some money from the bank. He gave $\frac{1}{2}$ of it to his son and $\frac{1}{3}$ of it to his daughter. We know he has 500 cedies left. We need to determine how much money he originally took from the bank. 2. Let the total money withdrawn be $x$. 3. Money given to son = $\frac{1}{2}x$ Money given to daughter = $\frac{1}{3}x$ 4. Total money given away = $\frac{1}{2}x + \frac{1}{3}x = \frac{3}{6}x + \frac{2}{6}x = \frac{5}{6}x$ 5. Money left with Mr. Mensah = Total money withdrawn - money given away $$\text{Left} = x - \frac{5}{6}x = \frac{1}{6}x$$ 6. We are told the money left is 500 cedies: $$\frac{1}{6}x = 500$$ 7. Solve for $x$: $$x = 500 \times 6 = 3000$$ Final answer: Mr. Mensah took 3000 cedies from the bank.