by Moonlit Naiad » Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:40 pm
Take the three: Miharu, Mihoshi, and Miyuki
Two are teens with the same age (so between 13 and 19) and the other is a fair bit younger. (3.5)(youngest)=(teens' age).
So the youngest is between the ages of (13/3.5) = 3.714285(repeating) and (19/3.5) = 5.428571(repeating).
Assuming whole numbers, because who really pays attention to fractions of a year when it comes to age, we can say the youngest is either 4 or 5 (though, at that age, "four and a half" really does mean something, so lets count that too, at least for now).
If little Miyuki is 4, then the teen twins are (3.5)(4)=14
If little Miyuki is 5, then the teen twins are (3.5)(5)=17.5
And if little Miyuki makes a big deal of being 4 and a half, then the teen twins are (3.5)(4.5)=15.75
If one assumes only whole number for ages, then it looks like Miyuki would just be 4, but given that .5 and .75 fall nicely on month breakdowns (6 and 9), then those still are possible, giving possible final ages of:
If Miyuki is 4, then I am (14)(2)+4=32
If Miyuki is 5, then I am (17.5)(2)+5=40
And if Miyuki is terribly proud of being 4.5, then I am (15.75)(2)+4.5=36
So, we really have a range there of between 32 and 40, but settling on - for ease - three possible ages, 32, 36, and 40. With a strong leaning toward 32, as the other answers have a fraction for the teenagers' ages.
All of them fit the third possibility, with the Middle-Earth maidens still in their childhood of being either 8, 9, or 10 years of age. And it looks like the assumption of whole numbers is playing out, which means in the end we may want to rule out little Miyuki being 4.5 (or the teens being 17.5 or 15.75)...
And checking with Aura and Aurora, we can rule out Miyuki being 5, because if my age is 40, then the two twin teens would be 20 -- which isn't a teenaged year (even if they still act like teenagers -- or younger!).
So, that means they are either 16 (32/2), or 18 (36/2), which provides a conundrum for having attained two possible answers.
But since the problem was simplified to use whole years to get that set, and one of the two answers relies on Miyuki being between years, we can carry that assumption further and say that Miyuki is only 4 until she turns 5, and four and a half doesn't count. Therefor Aura and Aurora are 16, not 18. With about 80% certainty in the answer. ^.~