Izzy's dog is 10 1⁄2 years old. Paige's dog is 18 months old. How many years older is Izzy's dog?

Question

Izzy's dog is 10 1⁄2 years old. Paige's dog is 18 months old. How many years older is Izzy's dog?

Answer 1

The ages need to be in the same units.  It is easiest in this case to convert the months to years.  To do this, divide 18 by 12 to get 1 1/2 years.  Then subtract the two mixed numbers:

 

10 1/2 - 1 1/2

 

Can you subtract these?

 

- Tim