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by phoenix9801 » Sat May 26, 2012 3:28 am
Can Someone show me how to solve using plugging in numbers not in algebraically. Please be simple as possible in details. Thanks


Bill is twice as old as Heidi and six years younger than Mel. If Heidi is h years old, how old is Mel in terms of h?

a) h-4
b) h+4
c) 2h-4
d) 2h
e) 2h+6
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Source: — Problem Solving |

by Anurag@Gurome » Sat May 26, 2012 3:36 am
phoenix9801 wrote:Can Someone show me how to solve using plugging in numbers not in algebraically. Please be simple as possible in details. Thanks


Bill is twice as old as Heidi and six years younger than Mel. If Heidi is h years old, how old is Mel in terms of h?

a) h-4
b) h+4
c) 2h-4
d) 2h
e) 2h+6
Picking numbers Approach:

Let Mel's age = 20
Then B = 2h and B = 20 - 6 = 14
So, 2h = 14 or h = 7

Plug in this value of h in the given answer choices to see which is the correct one.

a) h - 4 = 3
b) h + 4 = 11
c) 2h - 4 = 10
d) 2h = 14
e) 2h + 6 = 20, which is being satisfied, as initially we assumed Mel's age as 20 years.

The correct answer is E.
Anurag Mairal, Ph.D., MBA
GMAT Expert, Admissions and Career Guidance
Gurome, Inc.
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by Anurag@Gurome » Sat May 26, 2012 3:37 am
Algebraic Approach:

Let Mel's age = M
Then B = 2h and B = M - 6
So, 2h = M - 6
M = 2h + 6

The correct answer is E.
Anurag Mairal, Ph.D., MBA
GMAT Expert, Admissions and Career Guidance
Gurome, Inc.
1-800-566-4043 (USA)

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