Ethan is thinking of two numbers. the difference of two numbers is 5. five times the lesser number minus the greater number is 7. what are ethan's numbers.

If we write the bigger number as x, and the smaller number as y, we can write it as simultaneous equations.

So, if the difference is 5, we can say that

x-y=5

And if five times the smaller number minus the greater number is 7, then we can write that as

5y-x=7

You can add these together to get 4y=12, and if we simplify, we get y=3.

We know that the difference is 5, so 3+5=8.

Therefore, Ethan's numbers are 3 and 8.