SOLUTION: John's father is thrice as old as John. 6 years from now, his father will be 24 years older than John. How old is John now?

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Question 508302: John's father is thrice as old as John. 6 years from now, his father will be 24 years older than John. How old is John now?
Answer by richard1234(7193) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I think we can say that the father is 24 years older than John, regardless of how old they are. If J represents John's age now, then 3J represents John's father's age. This is equal to J+24, so we set an equation

3J = J + 24

2J = 24

J = 12, 3J = 36

John is 12, and his father is 36.