Question

Stephanie is six years old. She is one year older than one-sixth the age of her mother. How old is Stephanie's mother?

Answer 1

36

Explanation:

1/6 x = 6

multiply right side by 6 to simplify fraction

x = 36

Answer 2

Let m represent the mother’s age. We can set up an equation, given Stephanie is 6 years old:

6 = 1/6m

Since we have an equation with a variable on one side, we can isolate it by dividing by the coefficient (1/6):

1/6 / 1/6 = 1

6 / 1/6 = 6/1 • 6/1 = 36/1 = 36

Stephanie’s mother is 36 years old.