Problem 2 · 1995 AJHSME
Easy
Algebra & Patterns
work-through-relations
Jose is 4 years younger than Zack. Zack is 3 years older than Inez. Inez is 15 years old. How old is Jose?
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Answer: C — 14.
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Hint 1 of 2
Only one person has a real number: Inez is 15. Start where you actually know something and build outward.
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Hint 2 of 2
Each clue is a 'how far apart' link — follow the chain Inez → Zack → Jose, adding or subtracting at each link.
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Approach: anchor at the known value, then walk the chain
- Don't try to solve everyone at once — start from the one fixed fact: Inez is 15.
- Zack is 3 years older than Inez, so Zack is 15 + 3 = 18.
- Jose is 4 years younger than Zack, so Jose is 18 − 4 = 14.
- The habit that transfers: in a chain of comparisons, find the one person with a number and walk outward one link at a time — never juggle all the unknowns together.
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