document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=261051>Question 261051</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Pam is half as old as her brother Bill. Four years ago Bill was six times older than Pam. How old is each sibling now?  </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #192412 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jsmallt9><B>jsmallt9(3758)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=jsmallt9><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=192412\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> (There is an error in another tutor's solution which caused his/her answer to be incorrect. The following is the same as the other solution up to the point of the error.)<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Let x = Bill's age now.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Since Pam is half as old as Bill<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%281%2F2%29x ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%281%2F2%29x\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > = Pam's age now<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Four years ago their ages would be four less than they are now:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x-4 = Bill's age four years ago<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%281%2F2%29x+-+4 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%281%2F2%29x+-+4\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > = Pam's age four years ago<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Now that we have expressions for their ages now and four years ago, we can write an equation using the fact that four years ago Bill was six times as old as Pam:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+-+4+=+6%28%281%2F2%29x+-+4%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+-+4+=+6%28%281%2F2%29x+-+4%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > [This is where the error was in the other solution.]<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Using the Distributive Property on the right side we get:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+-+4+=+6%281%2F2%29x+-+6%2A4 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+-+4+=+6%281%2F2%29x+-+6%2A4\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "This simplifies to:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=x+-+4+=+3x+-+24 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"x+-+4+=+3x+-+24\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Now we can solve for x. Subtract x from each side:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=-4+=+2x+-+24 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"-4+=+2x+-+24\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Add 24 to each side:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=20+=+2x ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"20+=+2x\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Divide both sides by 2:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=10+=+x ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"10+=+x\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Since x is Bill's age now, Bill is ten years old. And since Pam's age now is <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%281%2F2%29x ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%281%2F2%29x\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, Pam is five years old. (Four years ago Bill would be 6 and Pam would be 1 and Bill would have been 6 times as old. So our answers check.) </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );