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Variables and Constants: The Age Difference Example

Suppose Greg is currently 20 years old and Alex is 23. Alex is always 3 years older than Greg: when Greg was 12, Alex was 15; when Greg turns 35, Alex will be 38. The individual ages are variables because they change over time. The gap of 3 years, however, is a constant because it never changes. If Greg's age is represented by the variable gg, then Alex's age can be expressed algebraically as g+3g + 3. This expression combines a variable and a constant to describe a relationship that holds true regardless of Greg's specific age.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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