Find the ages of the 3 children. Determine algebraically

Question

The ages of 3 children in a family can be expressed as consecutive integers. The square of the age of the youngest child is 4 more than 8 times the age of the oldest child. Find the ages of the 3 children.

Answer 1

Let the age of the youngest child be x

Then the age of the oldest child is x + 2.

 

Set up an equation:

 

x² = 8(x+2) + 4

 

x² = 8x +16 + 4

 

x² = 8x + 20

 

x² - 8x - 20 = 0

 

Can you solve this quadratic equation to get the answer?

 

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