Question 635707
When solving Exercise 20, Beth used a to represent the bride’s age and Ben used a to represent the groom’s age. Is one of these approaches preferable to the other? Why or why not? 
---------------------
The world’s oldest bride was 19 yr older than her groom. Together, their ages totaled 185 yr.
--
I prefer to use "b" for bride and "g" for groom.
---
Equations:
b = g + 19
b+g = 185
----
Substitute for "b" and solve for "g":
g+19 + g = 185
2g = 166
g = 83 (groom's age)
----
solve for "b":
b = g + 19
b = 83 + 19 = 102 (bride's age)
===============
Cheers,
Stan H.
===============