Answer: a=36; b=18
Explanation:
1. You know that the sum of two numbers is 54, then, you have:
a+b=54
2. According to the problem, the larger number is 18 more than the sampler number, this can be expressed as following:
a=b+18
3. Then, you must substitute the second equation into the first equation and solve for b:
b+18+b=54
b=18
4. Then the value of a is:
a+18=55
a=36