document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=1161769>Question 1161769</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Micah is 73 years old. Alice is 31 years old. How many years ago was Micah's age 3 times Alice's age?<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #785389 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><B>greenestamps(13200)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=greenestamps><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/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=greenestamps><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=785389\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> <br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "Tutor @ikleyn has shown a perfectly good formal algebraic solution to the problem.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "If formal algebra is not required, here is a quick and easy informal path to the solution.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "(1) The difference between their ages is now (and always will be) 73-31 = 42 years.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "(2) When Micah was 3 times Alice's age, the difference in their ages was twice Alice's age. (The difference between x and 3x is 2x).  Solving, 2x = 42; x = 21; it was when Alice was 21 and Micah was 21+42 = 63 that Micah was 3 times as old as Alice.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "(3) Since their ages are now 31 and 73, that was 10 years ago.<br><BR>\n" );
document.write( "ANSWER: 10 years ago<br><BR>\n" );
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