Puzzle #4
Lila and Maya are two sisters. Right now, Lila is two-fifths of her older sister Maya’s age. Two years from now, Lila will be half of Maya’s age at that time. Two years ago, Lila was only one-fourth of Maya’s age at that time.
How old are Lila and Maya now?
Click to See Solution:
Answer: Lila is 4 years old while Maya is 10 years
Explanation:
Let Lila’s age be L and Maya’s age be M
From the statement, “Lila is two-fifths of her older sister Maya’s age”, we can form the equation: 2/5L = M
And from the statement, “Two years from now, Lila will be half of Maya’s age at that time”, we can form the equation: L+2 =1/2(M+2)
The above equation can also be written as: 2 (L+2) = M+2
And finally from the statement, “Two years ago, Lila was only one-fourth of Maya’s age at that time”, we can form the equation: L-2 =1/4 (M-2)
The equation can also be written as: 4(L-2) = M-2
So now we have two equations, which we can solve to find the value of L and M:
2 (L+2) = M+2…..equation (I)
4(L-2) = M-2………..equation (II)
Proceed as follows:
2L + 4 = M+2
4L -8 = M-2
2L – M = -2
4L- M = 6
2L = 8
L = 4
Finally substitute 4 in 2L – M = -2 OR 4L- M = 6 to find M
M = 10
Thus, Lila is 4 years old while Maya is 10 years