Question

Jason is five years older than Becky, and the sum of their ages is 23. What are their
ages?

Answer 1

To solve the problem, we set up a system of equations and use algebra to find the values of their ages.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we can set up a system of equations.

Let's assume that Becky's age is x.

Then, Jason's age would be x + 5, since he is 5 years older than Becky.

We know that the sum of their ages is 23, so the equation would be x + (x + 5) = 23.

Next, we can simplify the equation by combining like terms.

That gives us 2x + 5 = 23.

To isolate the variable, we can subtract 5 from both sides, resulting in 2x = 18.

Finally, we divide both sides of the equation by 2, giving us x = 9.

So, Becky is 9 years old, and Jason is 9 + 5 = 14 years old.