Wally had two more marbled than ashan and together they have 88 marbles how many marbles does ashan have

Represent as

w=wally

a=ashan

so wally has 2 more marbles than ashan

w=2+a

together they have 88

w+a=88

since w=2+a, subsitute (2+a) for w in the w+a=88 equation

2+a+a=88

add like terms

2+2a=88

subtract 2 from both sides

2a=86

divide by 2

a=43

ashan has 43 marbles

The obvious answer would be 86, but you have to look closely at the problem. If Wally had two more marbles than Ashan, then that would mean Wally has 45. If Ashan has 86 then that is incorrect because Wally only has two, not two more than Ashan. If Wally has 45, then 80-45 is 43. This equation now makes sense because Wally has two more marbles than ashen, so Wally has 45 marbles and Ashan has 43.