Ask a New Question
Menu

Write two equations:

#1 Jack and his sister, Malonie, are 4 years apart in age.
#2 The sum of their ages is 28.

What are their ages?

let ___ = _____

let ____=_____

1 answer

Let's define Jack's age as \( J \) and Malonie's age as \( M \).

From the information given, we can write the following equations:

  1. \( J - M = 4 \) (Jack is 4 years older than Malonie)
  2. \( J + M = 28 \) (The sum of their ages is 28)

Now, we can solve these equations to find their ages.

Step 1: Rewrite the first equation

From the first equation, we can express \( J \) in terms of \( M \): \[ J = M + 4 \]

Step 2: Substitute into the second equation

Now, substitute \( J \) from the first equation into the second equation: \[ (M + 4) + M = 28 \] This simplifies to: \[ 2M + 4 = 28 \]

Step 3: Solve for \( M \)

Subtract 4 from both sides: \[ 2M = 24 \] Now, divide by 2: \[ M = 12 \]

Step 4: Find \( J \)

Now that we have Malonie's age, we can find Jack's age using the first equation: \[ J = M + 4 = 12 + 4 = 16 \]

So, Jack and Malonie's ages are:

  • Jack's age: \( J = 16 \)
  • Malonie's age: \( M = 12 \)

In summary: Let Jack = 16
Let Malonie = 12