Question 5 The oldest child in a family of four children is twice as old as the yougest. The two middle children are 12 , and 16 years old. If the average age of the children is \( \mathbf{1 3} \), how old is the youngest child? Your answer is: \( > \) Next Question

To solve this, we first note that there are four children. The average age is 13, which means the total age of all children is \( 4 \times 13 = 52 \). We know the ages of the two middle children: 12 and 16. So we can add these together: \( 12 + 16 = 28 \). Let’s denote the age of the oldest child as \( x \) and the youngest child as \( y \). According to the information given, we have: 1. \( x + y + 28 = 52 \) (total age equation) 2. \( x = 2y \) (the oldest child is twice as old as the youngest) Substituting \( x \) from the second equation into the first gives us: \[ 2y + y + 28 = 52 \] Combine like terms: \[ 3y + 28 = 52 \] Now, subtract 28 from both sides: \[ 3y = 24 \] Dividing by 3 gives: \[ y = 8 \] So, the youngest child is 8 years old! Fun fact: Being the youngest in a family can sometimes mean you learn things faster from your older siblings—after all, you get to cheat a little by observing them! And speaking of averages, did you know that average age calculations can be influenced by just one age? If you added a baby to the mix, the average would drop, so families with little ones often find themselves feeling a bit younger collectively!