Problem:
Anna and Bella are celebrating their birthdays together. Five years ago, when Bella turned years old, she received a newborn kitten as a birthday present. Today the sum of the ages of the two children and the kitten is years. How many years older than Bella is Anna?
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
If Bella was five years ago, then she is right now. If the kitten was a newborn five years ago, then it is right now. Since the sum of all ages is , Anna's age is
Since Anna is and Bella is , she is years older than Bella. Thus, the answer is .
Answer: .
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions