Question

Jacob and Isaiah are brothers. Their combined ages are 63. Jacob is 7 years older than Isaiah. How old are each of the boys?

Answer 1

There are two unknowns in this problem. To start, let's assign variables to each of them. Let x be the age of Jacob and y be the age of Isaiah. Then, we formulate equations based on the relationships stated.

x = 7 + y   --> eqn 1
x + y = 63  --> eqn 2

Substituting eqn 1 to eqn 2, then solve for x and y:

(7+y)+y = 63
7 + 2y = 63
2y = 63 - 7
2y = 56
y = 56/2
y = 28
x = 28 + 7 = 35

Therefore, Jacob is 35 years old, and Isaiah is 28 years old.