Nicole is half as old as Donald. The sum of their ages is 72. How old is Nicole in years?

[math_celebrity]

Nicole is half as old as Donald. The sum of their ages is 72. How old is Nicole in years?

Let n be Nicole's age. Let d be Donald's age. We're given two equations:

1. n = 0.5d
2. n + d = 72

Substitute equation (1) into (2):
0.5d + d = 72
1.5d = 72

Typing this equation into the search engine and solving for d, we get:
d = 48