SOLUTION: Harry is twice as old ad his friend jones. Jones is five years older than mel. In five years, harry will be three times as old as mel. How old is jones now? Express your answer in

Question 1182372: Harry is twice as old ad his friend jones. Jones is five years older than mel. In five years, harry will be three times as old as mel. How old is jones now? Express your answer in months
Answer by ikleyn(52803) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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Harry is twice as old ad his friend Jones.
Jones is five years older than Mel.
In five years, Harry will be three times as old as Mel.
How old is Jones now?
Express your answer in months
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let x be the Jones' age.

Then Harry is 2x years old, while Mel is (x-5) years old, according to the condition.



Further, in 5 years, Harry will be  (2x+5) years old, while Mel will be ((x-5) + 5) = x years old.



So, we write an equation as we read the text


    2x+5 = 3x.


From this equation,  x = 5.


So, the problem is just solved, and you get the


ANSWER.  x = 5,  i.e. Jones' current age is 5 years.

Solved.

The instruction to present the answer in months looks to be strange and irrelevant.
But you can do it by multiplying 5 years by 12 months, if you wish.

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There is a bunch of lessons on age word problems in this site:
    - Age problems and their solutions
    - HOW TO algebreze and to solve age problems?
    - A fresh formulation of a traditional age problem
    - Really intricate age word problems
    - Selected age word problems from the archive
    - Age problems for mental solution
    - Age problem for three participants
    - Some unusual age word problems
    - Miscellaneous age problems
    - Age problem for the day of April, 1
    - OVERVIEW of lessons on age problems

Read them attentively and become an expert in this field.

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