Question 746256
The sum of the ages of a father and son is 42.
 Five years later the age of the father will be 10 more than five times the age of the son.
 Find the present ages of the father and the son.
:
Let f = father's present age
Let s = son's age
:
f + s = 42
:
"Five years later the age of the father will be 10 more than five times the age of the son."
the equation for this statement:
f + 5 = 5(s+5) + 10
f + 5 = 5s + 25 + 10
f + 5 = 5s + 35
f = 5s + 35 - 5
f = 5s + 30
f - 5s = 30
we can use elimination here
f + s = 42
f - 5s = 30
---------------subtraction eliminates f, find s
6s = 12
s = 12/6
s = 2 yrs old is the son's present age
:
You can find the present age of the father, 
f + 2 = 42
check your solutions in the 2nd statement