Question 1170959
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The description compares both Patrick's age and Samantha's age to Charlie's age, so it looks as if Charlie's age is a good place to start:<br>
x = Charlie's age
x-4 = Patrick's age  (4 years younger than Charlie)
3x = Samantha's age  (3 times as old as Charlie)
6x = Donald's age  (Samantha is half as old as Donald, so Donald is twice as old as Samantha)
x+2 = Alex's age  (2 years older than Charlie)<br>
Now all five ages are in terms of a single variable, so it is easy to write and solve the equation that says the sum of the five ages is 142:<br>
{{{(x)+(x-4)+(3x)+(6x)+(x+2) = 142}}}
{{{12x-2 = 142}}}<br>
You can finish from there....<br>