SOLUTION: A movie star, unwilling to give his age, posed the following riddle to a gossip columnist: "5 years ago, I was 12 times as old as my daughter. Now I am 7 times as old as she is." H

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Question 756733: A movie star, unwilling to give his age, posed the following riddle to a gossip columnist: "5 years ago, I was 12 times as old as my daughter. Now I am 7 times as old as she is." How old is the movie star?
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let a = Star's present age
Let d = Daughter's present age
:
Write an equation and simplify it, for each statement.
:
"5 years ago, I was 12 times as old as my daughter."
a - 5 = 12(d-5)
a - 5 = 12d - 60
a = 12d - 60 + 5
a = 12d - 55
:
"Now I am 7 times as old as she is."
a = 7d
replace a with (12d-55)
12d - 55 = 7d
12d - 7d = 55
5d = 55
d = 55/5
d = 11 yrs is daughters age
:
How old is the movie star?
a = 7(11)
a = 77 yrs old is the star
:
:
Check this in the 1st statement
"5 years ago, I was 12 times as old as my daughter. "
77 - 5 = 12(11-5)
72 = 12(6); confirms our answer