SOLUTION: A father is 3 times older than his son.
Both their ages add up to 54.
What are their ages?
Algebra.Com
Question 1180714: A father is 3 times older than his son.
Both their ages add up to 54.
What are their ages?
Found 3 solutions by MathLover1, greenestamps, josgarithmetic:
Answer by MathLover1(20849) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let father's age be and son's age
if a father is times older than his son, we have
....eq.1
if both their ages add up to , we have
....eq.2
substitute from eq.1
or and
then => or and
their ages are:
father is and years old
son is and years old
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The statement of the problem is faulty. Age problems should have whole number answers; this one does not.
There is also a problem with the statement that the father is "3 times older than" his son. That is a phrase that is almost always used incorrectly to mean that if the son's age is x then the father's age is 3x.
But "3 times older than his son" means the son's age, x, PLUS "3 times more" his son's age (3x), making "3 times older than x" equal to x+3x=4x.
Note that is similar to an increase of 300% in a number making the number 4 times as big as it was previously. The original 100% of the number, plus the increase of 300%, makes a total that is 400% of the original number.
The statement of a math problem should NEVER use the phrase " 3 times older than" or "5 times larger than", because the intended meaning is almost never the correct meaning.
This problem is especially badly created, in that the solutions are not whole numbers with EITHER interpretation of the given information....
Answer by josgarithmetic(39617) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
s, the son
3s+s, the father, or 4s
-------both ages sum to 54.
Son is years and Father is years of age.
Maybe recheck your problem description.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Bob is 25 years younger than his father and 27 years older than his son. Together, their... (answered by hamsanash1981@gmail.com)
A man is two times older than his son. together their ages equal 63, what are their... (answered by Alan3354)
the ages of a son and father are in the ratio of 3:10. if the father is 56 years older... (answered by Fombitz)
a father is 24years older than his son. the ratio of their ages are 5 to 2 respectively.... (answered by josgarithmetic)
A father is 3 times older than his son now. In 10 years time their combined ages will b... (answered by rwm,mananth)
Father is four times older than his son. In 14 years the father will be twice as old.... (answered by ikleyn)
a father 34 years older than his son tony.
their total ages is 54 years
how old will to (answered by stanbon)
A father is 3 times as old as his son. 10 years later , father is 2 times as old as his... (answered by mananth)
A father is 24 years older than his son. In 7 years, the son's age will be 2/5 that of... (answered by lwsshak3)