Sarah and Louise have a combined age of 24. Six years ago, Sarah was three times as old as Louise. Let Sarah be x years and Louise y years
x+y = 24
x-6 = 3(y-6)
Now just find x and y
y=9
x=15
To solve this problem, we can form two equations based on the given information:
1. Sarah and Louise have a combined age of 24:
x + y = 24
2. Six years ago, Sarah was three times as old as Louise:
(x - 6) = 3 * (y - 6)
Now, we can solve these equations simultaneously to find the values of x and y.
First, we'll simplify the second equation:
x - 6 = 3y - 18
x = 3y - 12
Next, we'll substitute this expression for x into the first equation:
(3y - 12) + y = 24
4y - 12 = 24
4y = 36
y = 9
Now, substitute the value of y back into the expression for x to find x:
x = 3(9) - 12
x = 27 - 12
x = 15
Therefore, Sarah is 15 years old and Louise is 9 years old.