document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=123895>Question 123895</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Edwin is 6 years older than his brother Alvin. In two years, Edwin will be 20 more than one-third of Alvin's age. How old are the brothers now? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #90890 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=90890\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> Let E represent Edwin's present age and A represent Alvin's present age.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "The problem tells you first that presently Edwin is 6 years older than his brother Alvin. That<BR>\n" );
document.write( "means that if you take 6 years off Edwin's present age, the answer you get is equal to <BR>\n" );
document.write( "Alvin's present age. In equation form this is:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "E - 6 = A<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Next the problem indicates what the relationship between their ages will be 2 years from now.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "In two years from now Edwin's age will be his present age plus 2 ... or E + 2. And also in 2 years<BR>\n" );
document.write( "from now Alvin's age will be his present age plus 2 ... or A + 2.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "The problem then tells you that 2 years from now Edwin's age at that time will be 20 more than <BR>\n" );
document.write( "a third of Alvin's age.  This tells you that if you take 20 years away from Edwin's <BR>\n" );
document.write( "age at that time the answer will equal a third of Alvin's age at that time.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Well, 20 years off Edwin's age in 2 years will be (E + 2) - 20 and this simplifies<BR>\n" );
document.write( "to E - 18. <BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "And a third of Alvin's age in 2 years will be <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=%281%2F3%29%2A%28A%2B2%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"%281%2F3%29%2A%28A%2B2%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Since we know these two are to be equal, we can set them equal in the equation form of:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=E-18+=+%281%2F3%29%2A%28A+%2B+2%29 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"E-18+=+%281%2F3%29%2A%28A+%2B+2%29\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "We can get rid of the denominator 3 by multiplying both sides of this equation by 3 to<BR>\n" );
document.write( "convert the equation to:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3E+-+54+=+A+%2B+2 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3E+-+54+=+A+%2B+2\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "But way back at the start our first equation said that E - 6 = A. So wherever we see A we can<BR>\n" );
document.write( "substitute it equal E - 6.  Substituting E-6 for A in the equation above results in the equation becoming:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3E+-+54+=+E+-+6+%2B2 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3E+-+54+=+E+-+6+%2B2\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Combine the constants -6 and +2 on the right side to get -4 which reduces the equation to:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3E+-+54+=+E+-+4 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3E+-+54+=+E+-+4\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Get rid of the -54 on the left side by adding +54 to both sides and the equation becomes:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3E+=+E+%2B+50 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3E+=+E+%2B+50\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Get rid of the E on the right side by subtracting E from both sides to get:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=2E+=+50 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"2E+=+50\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Solve for E by dividing both sides by 2 and you have:<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=E+=+25 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"E+=+25\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "So Edwin's present age is 25. And since Edwin is 6 years older than Alvin, then Alvin's present<BR>\n" );
document.write( "age is 25 - 6 = 19 years old.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "In two years from the present, Edwin will be 27 and Alvin will be 21. (Still 6 years difference<BR>\n" );
document.write( "in their ages, just as there will always be.)<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "If you took 20 from Edwin's age of 27 you get an answer of 7. And if you took a third of<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Alvin's age of 21 you also get an answer of 7. So our answer satisfies both of the sets of<BR>\n" );
document.write( "conditions given in the problem.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "In summary, the answer to this problem is that Edwin is currently 25 years old and Alvin is<BR>\n" );
document.write( "currently 19 years old.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Hope all this helps you to understand the problem and how to work it.<BR>\n" );
document.write( ".<BR>\n" );
document.write( " </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</TD></TR></TABLE>\n" );