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.
THANK YOU!
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)
Let's use the variable "m" to represent Meg's age.
1. Jill's age: We know that Jill is 2 years younger than Meg, so Jill's age can be represented as "m - 2". Here, the variable "m" represents Meg's age, and the expression "m - 2" represents Jill's age.
2. Meg's age: We are already using "m" to represent Meg's age, so Meg's age can simply be represented as "m". Here, the variable "m" represents Meg's age, and the expression "m" represents Meg's age itself.
3. Beth's age: We are given that Beth is half as old as Meg, so Beth's age can be represented as "0.5m" or "m/2". Here, the variable "m" represents Meg's age, and the expression "0.5m" or "m/2" represents Beth's age.
To summarize:
- Jill's age: m - 2 (variable "m" represents Meg's age, expression represents Jill's age)
- Meg's age: m (variable "m" represents Meg's age, expression represents Meg's age itself)
- Beth's age: 0.5m or m/2 (variable "m" represents Meg's age, expression represents Beth's age)