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The sum of the ages of a man and his wife is 81 years. The ratio of their ages is 
5:4. Find the age of the younger person.
A. 30 years
B. 36 years
C. 45 years
D. 51 years

The sum of the ages of a man and his wife is \(81 years. The ratio of their ages is 5:4 5: 4 . Find the age of the younger person.\newlineA. 3030 years\newlineB. 3636 years\newlineC. 4545 years\newlineD. 5151 years

Full solution

Q. The sum of the ages of a man and his wife is \(81 years. The ratio of their ages is 5:4 5: 4 . Find the age of the younger person.\newlineA. 3030 years\newlineB. 3636 years\newlineC. 4545 years\newlineD. 5151 years
  1. Denote ages as variables: Let's denote the age of the man as 5x5x and the age of his wife as 4x4x, where xx is a common multiplier.\newlineThe ratio of their ages is given as 5:45:4, which means for every 55 units of age the man has, the wife has 44 units of the same age.
  2. Write sum equation: We know that the sum of their ages is 8181 years. So we can write the equation:\newline5x+4x=815x + 4x = 81
  3. Combine like terms: Combine like terms to solve for xx.9x=819x = 81
  4. Find value of x: Divide both sides of the equation by 99 to find the value of x.\newlinex=819x = \frac{81}{9}\newlinex=9x = 9
  5. Calculate age of younger person: Now that we have the value of xx, we can find the age of the younger person, which is the wife with the age of 4x4x.\newlineAge of the younger person (wife) = 4×94 \times 9
  6. Calculate age of younger person: Now that we have the value of xx, we can find the age of the younger person, which is the wife with the age of 4x4x.\newlineAge of the younger person (wife) = 4×94 \times 9Calculate the age of the younger person.\newlineAge of the younger person = 3636 years

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