Question

Savannah is 9 years older thanDevante. The sum of their ages is 53. How old are Savannah and Devante?

(A) First write an equation you can use to answer this question. Use x as your variable.
The equation is _______
Answer: Devante is _______
and Savannah is ______

Answer 1

Devante is 23 and Savannah is 32.

Explanation:

We can set up a system of equations.

s - savannah's age

d - devante's age

s = d + 9

s + d = 53

Now we can substitute (d + 9) for s in the second equation.

(d + 9) + d = 53

2d + 9 = 53

2d = 46

d = 23

To find Savannah's age, we just add 9 to Devante's age. (plugging in 23 for d)

23 + 9 = 32

s = 32