document.write( "Question 390691: Amy is 3 years older than Laura. The product of their ages is equal to 2 times the sum of their ages. Could someone please tell me how to solve this without writing two independent equations? More importantly, how does a 5th grader with no concept of independent variables and equations solve this other than tedious trial and error and at the end, what has he learned? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #277063 by Edwin McCravy(20056)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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document.write( "Try Laura being 1. \r\n" );
document.write( "Then Amy is 4. \r\n" );
document.write( "The product of their ages is 4\r\n" );
document.write( "The sum of their ages is 5. \r\n" );
document.write( "4 is not 2 times 5\r\n" );
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document.write( "Try Laura being 2. \r\n" );
document.write( "Then Amy is 5. \r\n" );
document.write( "The product of their ages is 10\r\n" );
document.write( "The sum of their ages is 7. \r\n" );
document.write( "10 is not 2 times 7\r\n" );
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document.write( "Try Laura being 3. \r\n" );
document.write( "Then Amy is 6. \r\n" );
document.write( "The product of their ages is 18\r\n" );
document.write( "The sum of their ages is 9. \r\n" );
document.write( "Hooray! 18 is 2 times 9\r\n" );
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document.write( "That wasn't too tedious.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin
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