Question 1045165
{{{w}}}= age of the watercolor
Since the oil painting is 16 years older than a watercolor,
{{{w+16}}}= age of the oil painting.
Since the oil painting is also three times older than the watercolor,
{{{3w}}}= age of the oil painting, too.
So, {{{3w=w+16}}} .
Subtracting {{{w}}} from both sides of the equation, we get
{{{3w-w=w+16-w}}}
{{{2w=16}}}
{{{w=16/2}}}
{{{highlight(w=8)}}} .
The watercolor is {{{highlight(8)}}} years old.