document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=101024>Question 101024</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> How many years will it take for Sheila (34 years old) to be half the age of David (54 years old)? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #73545 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><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=73545\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> In x more years, Sheila will be 34 + x years old, and David will be 54 + x years old.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "But the problem tells you that you want Sheila's age at that time to equal half of David's age.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "So write an equation that says Sheila's age of 34 + x equals (1/2) times David's age of 54 + x:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "34 + x = (1/2)* (54 + x)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "To get rid of the (1/2) just multiply both sides of the equation by 2 and you have:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "68 + 2x = 54 + x<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "get rid of the x on the right side by subtracting x from both sides to get:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "68 + x = 54<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Next, get rid of the 68 on the left side by subtracting 68 from both sides to result in:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "x = -14<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "What does this negative answer mean? It means that you are too late. 14 years ago when<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Sheila was 20 (that is 34 - 14 = 20), she was half the age of David who was then 40 (54 - 14 = 40).<BR>\n" );
document.write( "That ratio can never happen again. Somebody was trying to trick you or to see if you even<BR>\n" );
document.write( "recognized what the answer meant.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "You can try adding some years to Sheila's present age of 34 and add the same number of years<BR>\n" );
document.write( "to David's present age of 54. You will see that the ratio of Sheila's age to David's age<BR>\n" );
document.write( "just keeps getting bigger and bigger than 1/2. For example, in 10 years Sheila will be 44<BR>\n" );
document.write( "and David will be 64. The ratio of 44 to 64 equals 44/64 and the decimal equivalent <BR>\n" );
document.write( "is 0.6875. In 20 years Sheila will be 54 and David will be 74. This ratio is 54/74 and<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the decimal equivalent is 0.7297. In 30 years Sheila will be 64 and David will be 84, a<BR>\n" );
document.write( "ratio of 64/84 which is 0.7619. Do you see how with every passing year the ratio keeps growing<BR>\n" );
document.write( "away from 1/2 which is 0.5000?<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Hope this helps you to interpret the problem a little better.  </SPAN>\n" );
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