SOLUTION: Clara, Liz, and Maria are three sisters whose birthdays all fall on the same day. Clara is 2/3 as old as Liz; Maria is 1/6 as old as Clara; and Clara is in the sixth grade in a pri

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Question 1039627: Clara, Liz, and Maria are three sisters whose birthdays all fall on the same day. Clara is 2/3 as old as Liz; Maria is 1/6 as old as Clara; and Clara is in the sixth grade in a private school. If Liz is younger than 21, how old is she?
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20054)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Clara is 2/3 as old as Liz;


Multiply both sides by 3 to clear the fraction

(1)   
Maria is 1/6 as old as Clara


Multiply both sides by 6 to clear the fraction

(2)   

Use (2) to substitute 6M for C in (1):





(3)   
Liz is younger than 21


Use (3) to substitute 9M for L






So Maria is either 1 or 2

If Maria were only 1, then, substituting
M=1 in (2)   




But
Clara is in the sixth grade
So she can't be only 6.
So Maria must be 2

(4)   M=2

substituting M=2 in (2)   




Normally one is only 11 in the sixth grade, but
Clara could have failed a grade. So Maria is 2,
and Clara is 12.
how old is she (Liz)?
Using (4) to substitute 2 for M in (3)







Liz is 18.

Edwin


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