document.write( "Question 267454: two boys' ages total 24. four less than six times the younger boy's age equals five more than three times the older boy's age. what are their ages? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #196267 by Edwin McCravy(20086) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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two boys' ages total 24. four less than six times the younger boy's age equals five more than three times the older boy's age. what are their ages?
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document.write( "Here is the way to interpret analytically what that problem says:\r\n" );
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document.write( "1. Add the younger boys age and the older \r\n" );
document.write( "   boy's ages together and you get 24. \r\n" );
document.write( "2. Take the younger boy's age.\r\n" );
document.write( "3. Multiply it by 6\r\n" );
document.write( "4. Make what you got 4 less by subtracting 4 from it.\r\n" );
document.write( "5. Take the older boy's age.\r\n" );
document.write( "6. Multiply it by 3.\r\n" );
document.write( "7. Make what you got 5 more by adding 5 to it\r\n" );
document.write( "8. What you got in step 4 is equal to what you got in step 7.\r\n" );
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document.write( "First do it with variable x for the younger boy's age and\r\n" );
document.write( "y for the older boy's age:\r\n" );
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document.write( "1. Add the younger boys age and the older                      \r\n" );
document.write( "   boy's ages together and you get 24.                        That's x+y=24\r\n" );
document.write( "2. Take the younger boy's age.                                That's x.\r\n" );
document.write( "3. Multiply it by 6.                                          That's 6x.\r\n" );
document.write( "4. Make what you got 4 less by subtracting 4 from it.         That's 6x-4\r\n" );
document.write( "5. Take the older boy's age.                                  That's y.\r\n" );
document.write( "6. Multiply it by 3.                                          That's 3y. \r\n" );
document.write( "7. Make what you got 5 more by adding 5 to it.                That's 3y+5 \r\n" );
document.write( "8. What you got in step 4 is equal to what you got in step 7. That's 6x-4=3y+5\r\n" );
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document.write( "Take the system of two equations in two variables from\r\n" );
document.write( "steps 1 and 8:\r\n" );
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document.write( "Simplify it and solve it by substitution or elimination.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Answer: x=9, y= 15.  The youger boy is 9 and the older boy is 15.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now check it with the numbers with the same 8 sentences:\r\n" );
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document.write( "1. Add the younger boys age and the older                      \r\n" );
document.write( "   boy's ages together and you get 24.                        That's 9+15=24\r\n" );
document.write( "2. Take the younger boy's age.                                That's 9.\r\n" );
document.write( "3. Multiply it by 6.                                          That's 54.\r\n" );
document.write( "4. Make what you got 4 less by subtracting 4 from it.         That's 50\r\n" );
document.write( "5. Take the older boy's age.                                  That's 15.\r\n" );
document.write( "6. Multiply it by 3.                                          That's 45. \r\n" );
document.write( "7. Make what you got 5 more by adding 5 to it.                That's 50 \r\n" );
document.write( "8. What you got in step 4 is equal to what you got in step 7. That's 50=50 \r\n" );
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document.write( "Steps 1 and 8 show that the answer is correct.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Try to break word problems into steps like the above.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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