Question

Ryan is 6 years older than his sister, Naomi. The sum of their ages is 40. Find their ages.

Answer 1

Ryan is 23 and Naomi is 17.

Explanation:

Find the midpoint of 40. This is 40/2, or 20.

Because the difference in age is 6, but the total of the ages must add up to 40, you must also halve 6. 6/2 is 3.

Take away three and add three to 20.

20 + 3 = 23. This is Ryan's age as he is the older sibling.

20 - 3 = 17. This is Naomi's age.