SOLUTION: Erica is 8 years older than Michele. Kayla is 2 times older than Michele. If Michele's age is represented by x, create an expression that represents the total age of all three girl

Question 1151788: Erica is 8 years older than Michele. Kayla is 2 times older than Michele. If Michele's age is represented by x, create an expression that represents the total age of all three girls.
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

We are told to let x be Michele's age.

Then, since Erica is 8 years older than Michele, Erica's age is x+8.

And we are told Kayla is "2 times older than" Michele.

Here we most likely have a problem. In everyday language, "2 times older than" and "2 times as old as" are often used to mean the same thing. But they do not -- the meanings are different.

"2 times as old as x" is straightforward -- it is, literally, "2 times x", or 2x.

But the grammatically correct interpretation of "2 times OLDER THAN x" is "x, PLUS 2 TIMES x MORE" -- which is x, plus 2x, which is 3x.

So, as the problem is written, Kayla's age, "2 times older than Michele", is 3 times Michele's age, which is 3x.

And then the expression for the total of the ages of the three girls is

(x) + (x+8) + (3x) = 5x+8

However, if you have something that tells you what the answer is supposed to be, it probably says

(x) + (x+8) + (2x) = 4x+8

But, again, that answer is INCORRECT.

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