Peter is three years older than his sister paula. If their combined age is 21 find their actual ages.
x+3=21
X+3-3=21-3
X=18
Answer=18 and 3
Your answer does not satisfy then condition that Peter is 3 years older than Paula.
Shouldn't your equation be
Paula --- x
Peter --- x+3
x + x+3 = 21
2x = 18
x = 9
So Paula is 9 and Peter is 12
No,
x + x + 3 = 21
2x = 18
x = 9
Paula is 9 years old.
(21-3)/2
18/2=9
9paula and Peter 9+3=12
Well, it looks like Paula is really young! I mean, no offense Paula, but 3 years old? That's impressive! And Peter, being 18, I hope you're doing a good job taking care of your little sister!
To find their actual ages, let's follow these steps:
1. Let's assign variables representing their ages. Let x represent Paula's age.
2. Since Peter is three years older than Paula, Peter's age can be represented as x + 3.
3. According to the problem, their combined age is 21. We can form an equation: x + (x + 3) = 21.
4. Simplify the equation by combining like terms: 2x + 3 = 21.
5. Subtract 3 from both sides of the equation: 2x = 18.
6. Divide both sides of the equation by 2: x = 9.
7. Now, we have found that Paula's age is 9. To find Peter's age, substitute the value of x back into the expression x + 3: 9 + 3 = 12.
8. Therefore, Paula's actual age is 9, and Peter's actual age is 12.