I just need help with this one problem

Answer:
Age of Nicole x= 24 years
Age of Donald = y = 48 years
Step-by-step explanation:
Suppose x represents Age of Nicole in years and y represents age of Donald in years
Sum of their ages is 72, therefore
[tex]x+y=72[/tex] -------------- (1)
Nicole is half as old as Donald
[tex]x= \frac{y}{2}[/tex] ------------------ (2)
Substitute x=y/2 in equation (1)
[tex]\frac{y}{2} +y = 72 \\3y = 2(72) \\y = \frac{144}{3} \\y= 48 \ years[/tex]
Now put y=48 in equation (2)
[tex]x =\frac{48}{2} \\x=24[/tex]