Question

The measure of one of two complementary angles is 6 degrees less than one half the measure of the other. Find the measure of the smaller angle

Answer 1

It's helpful to choose letters to represent the measures of these complementary angles.  Let x represent one and y the other.

What does "complementary angle" mean?  x + y = ??

Let x be the smaller angle.  First, we take "half the measure of the larger angle," or (y/2).  Then we subtract 6 degrees from this result (y/2).  The result is the xmaller angle, x.

Now you have two equations in x and y.  Solve for one of these angles, and then find the other.  Please show your work.