Jill, Meg, and Beth are sisters. Jill is 2 years younger than Meg. Beth is half as old as Meg. Use the same variable to write three algebraic expressions based on this situation. Tell what the variable represents and what each expression represents.

Question

THANK YOU!

Answer 1

Meg's age --- x
Jill's age ----- x-2
Beth's age --- x/2 or (1/2)x

Of course we could have started by defining:

Beth's age --- y
Meg's age --- 2y
Jill's age -----2y - 2

or , starting with

Jill's age ----- z
Meg's age ---- z+2
Beth's age ---- (z+2)/2 or (1/2)(z+2)