At a fun fair, each mother there had brought 2 children. At the end of the day, it was found that 36 mothers had lost one or both of their children and 62 children had lost their mothers. How many mothers lost only one of their children and how many mothers lost both of their children?

Answer 1

Assuming each child has only one mother.

Let m be the number of mothers who lost both children.

Let n be the number who lost only one child.

36 mothers had lost one or both of their children:
(1)... m + n = 36

62 children had lost their mothers:
(2)... 2m + n = 62

Solve for n and m.