George is 2 years older then sam and sam is 3 years older then alex. the total of their ages is 35. write and solve the equation to find the ages of george. sam and alex

Let Alex (the youngest) be n

Sam is n+3 because he is three years older

George is n+5 because he is 2 years older than Sam (n+3 + 2) = n + 5

All their ages summed = 35

So

n + n + 3 + n + 5 = 35

Combine like terms

3n + 8 = 35

- 8 - 8 subtract 8 from both sides of the equation

3n = 27

3 3 divide both sides by 3 and get n = 9

So Alex is 9

Sam is 12 since he is 3 years older than Akex

George is 14 since he is 2 years older than Sam

9 + 12 + 14 = 35