Question

Andrew, Benjamin, and Charles are brothers. Benjamin is 2 years younger than Andrew. Charles is 4 years younger than Andrew. If their ages add up to 75, how old are the brothers? What equation celuld be used to help you solve this?

Answer 1

Andrew is 27 years old, Benjamin is 25 years old and Charles is 23 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's call A the age of Andrew, B the age of Benjamin, and C the age of Charles.

If Benjamin is 2 years younger than Andrew, we can write the following equation:

B = A - 2

In the same way, if Charles is 4 years younger than Andrew, we get:

C = A - 4

Finally, their ages add up 75, so:

A + B + C = 75

Now, we can replace B by (A - 2) and C by (A - 4) on the last equation:

A + (A - 2) + (A - 4) = 75

So, solving for A, we get:

A + A - 2 + A - 4 = 75

3A - 6 = 75

3A - 6 + 6 = 75 + 6

3A = 81

3A/3 = 81/3

A = 27

Therefore, Andrew is 27 years old. So, the age of Benjamin and Charles are:

B = 27 - 2 = 25

C = 27 - 4 = 23

So, Andrew is 27 years old, Benjamin is 25 years old and Charles is 23 years old.