SOLUTION: In sixteen year Bob will be three times as old as he is now. How old is Bob now?

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Question 1165035: In sixteen year Bob will be three times as old as he is now. How old is Bob now?
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

x = Bob's age now

The information in the problem gives you two ways to express his age 16 years from now:

x+16 = his age 16 years from now
3x = his age 16 years from now

Those two expressions represent the same number, so they are equal:

Solve using basic algebra.

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An informal solution will use exactly the same calculations as the formal algebraic solution:

The difference between "three times his age" and "his age" is two times his age.

But the difference between his ages at the two times is 16 years, so 16 years is twice his current age.

So his current age is 16/2 = 8.