Question 859316
Martha lived the first one-quarter of her life unmarried, the next one-half of her life in her first marriage, the next one-sixth of her life in her second marriage, and her final 8 years as a widow.
 how old was she when she died?
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Let a = her age when she died
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Write a equation for each statement
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"Martha lived the first one-quarter of her life unmarried,
{{{1/4}}}a = unmarried yrs
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 the next one-half of her life in her first marriage,

{{{1/2}}}a = her first marriage yrs
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the next one-sixth of her life in her second marriage,

{{{1/6}}}a = 2nd marriage yrs
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and her final 8 years as a widow.
a = {{{1/4}}}a + {{{1/2}}}a + {{{1/6}}}a + 8
common denominator is 12
a = {{{3/12}}}a + {{{6/12}}} + {{{2/12}}}a + 8
a = {{{11/12}}}a + 8
a - {{{11/12}}}a = 8
{{{1/12}}}a = 8
a = 12 * 8 
a = 96 yrs