Question

Pam is 3 years older than her sister, Jan. The sum of their ages is 99. Find their ages.

Answer 1

pam is 51 and jan is 48

Explanation:

pam is x and jan is y

(x + 3) + y = 99

- 3 on both sides

x + y = 96

divide 96 by two

96/2 is 48

add 3 to 48 (pam’s age)

pam is 51 and jan is 48

Answer 2

Pam is 51.

Jan is 48.

Explanation:

Pam is 3 years older than Jan so her age is x + 3 where x is Jan's age. When we add Pam's age and Jan's age, the sum equals 99.

So x + x+3 = 99. Solve for x.

2x+3 = 99

2x=96

x= 48

So Jan is 48 years old. This means Pam is 51.