Question 1132944
mathew'sage is y
his wife is 2 years older.
therefore his wife'sage is y + 2.
the total age of both is 72.
therefore y + y + 2 = 72
combine like terms to get 2y + 2 = 72.
subtract 2 from both sides of that equation to get 2y = 70
divide both sides of that equation by 2 to get y = 35.
that's matthew's age.
his wife is 2 years older than him, therefore his wife-s age is 37.
matthew is 35 and his wife is 37.
the sum of their ages is 72.


you solution is that matthew is 35 years old./