Question

The difference between two whole numbers is 66. The ratio of the two numbers is 2: 5. What are the two numbers?

Answer 1

Since the ratio of the two numbers is 2: 5, we may take one number to be 2x and the other to be 5x.

The difference between the two numbers is (5x – 2x). It is given that the difference

is 66.

Therefore,

5x - 2x = 66
or 3x = 66
or x = 22

Since the numbers are 2x and 5x, they are 2 × 22 or 44 and 5 × 22 or 110, respectively.

The difference between the two numbers is 110 – 44 = 66 as desired.