The average age of 6 students is 17.5 years. If one student leaves and the average becomes 16 years, what was the age of the student who left?

To find the age of the student who left, we start by determining the total age of the 6 students. The average age of the students is given as 17.5 years, so we can calculate the total age by multiplying the average age by the number of students.

Total age of 6 students = 17.5 years × 6 students = 105 years.

When one student leaves, the average age of the remaining 5 students is 16 years. We can calculate the total age of these remaining students as well:

Total age of 5 students = 16 years × 5 students = 80 years.

To find the age of the student who left, we subtract the total age of the remaining students from the original total age:

Age of the student who left = Total age of 6 students - Total age of 5 students = 105 years - 80 years = 25 years.

Thus, the age of the student who left is 25 years, which is consistent with the answer provided. This reasoning clarifies that the decrease in average age, after one student left, is a direct reflection of the age of the student who departed. This calculation confirms that the age of the departing student was significantly