SOLUTION: Mrs. Jones is three times as old as her son. Ten years ago, she was 5 times as old as her son was then. How old is her son?

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Question 27682:
Mrs. Jones is three times as old as her son. Ten years ago, she was 5 times as old as her son was then. How old is her son?
Answer by 88chaos88(6) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let the age of Mrs. Jones be y. Let the age of her son be x.

Mrs. Jones is three times as old as her son:
y=3x

Ten years ago, she was 5 times as old as her son was then:
y-10=5%28x-10%29
y-10=5x-50 (Expand the brackets)
y=5x-40 (Add 10 on both sides)

Now, you can compare the first equation with the second equation.
3x=5x-40
2x=40 (Group 3x and 5x together)
x=20 (Age of her son)

Her son is 20 years old.