SOLUTION: monica is 4 years younger than her brother kevin. kevin is 9 years younger than robert, the oldest child in their family. the sum of their ages is 37. how old are robert, monica, a

Question 1144356: monica is 4 years younger than her brother kevin. kevin is 9 years younger than robert, the oldest child in their family. the sum of their ages is 37. how old are robert, monica, and kevin
Found 3 solutions by josgarithmetic, solver91311, ikleyn:
Answer by josgarithmetic(39615)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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Answer by solver91311(24713)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Let represent Robert's age. Kevin is 9 years younger, so Kevin must be years old, and Monica is 4 years younger than that, so Monica must be .

Solve for , then calculate and . Note, the answer is NOT an even number of years, so you can either express your answers as mixed numbers, an integer numbers of months, or as years and months. HINT: of a year is 4 months.

Other tutors have asserted that this a faulty question because there are no integer solutions. While it is true that most questions of this type DO have integer solutions, there is nothing whatsoever in the question that demands such a result. A mixed number ( years), an integer number of months (59 months), or an answer expressed as years and months (19 years 8 months), are all perfectly valid ways to express the answer to this problem. Lesson for both the student and the other tutors: NEVER make unwarranted assumptions.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

Answer by ikleyn(52770)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.

As the problem is worded, printed, posted and presented, it has no solution in integer numbers.

Therefore, from the traditional point of view, it is FAULT, or DEFECTIVE, problem.

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