If Adam is 30 years older than Alyssa and the sum of their ages is 36. How old are they?

30 + x = 36

Ms. Sue meant to say:

x + 30+x = 36

2x = 6

x = 3

But 3 + 30 = 33

What am I doing wrong?

x=3, so

Alysia is 3 and Adam is 33
3+33 = 36

Ahhh!! Thanks Reiny. I just couldn't see that before.

To solve this problem, let's assign variables to represent Adam and Alyssa's ages. Let's say Alyssa's age is A, and Adam's age is A + 30 (since Adam is 30 years older than Alyssa).

Now, we know that the sum of their ages is 36. So, we can write the equation:
A + (A + 30) = 36

Simplifying the equation, we get:
2A + 30 = 36

Subtracting 30 from both sides of the equation:
2A = 6

Dividing both sides of the equation by 2:
A = 3

So, Alyssa's age is 3.

Since Adam is 30 years older than Alyssa, Adam's age is:
A + 30 = 3 + 30 = 33

Therefore, Alyssa is 3 years old and Adam is 33 years old.