Question 1113857
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The answer from the other tutor of course doesn't make sense, because age problems require answers in whole numbers.<br>
However, with the way the problem is worded, that is the right answer to the question.<br>
What the tutor only hints at but does not explain is that the statement of the problem is faulty.<br>
Specifically, the phrase "3 times older than Marry" does NOT mean -- as most people think it does -- the same as "3 times as old as Marry".  "3 times older than Marry" literally means as old as Marry, and then 3 more times that -- i.e., "3 times OLDER THAN Marry" means "4 times AS OLD AS Marry".<br>
With that grammatically correct interpretation of the problem, you get the nonsensical answer that Marry is 1.5 years old and Anthony is 6.<br>
The INTENDED statement of the problem was that Anthony is 3 times as old as Marry; then the problem has a reasonable solution.<br>
a = 3m  (Anthony is 3 times as old as Marry)
a+3 = 2(m+3)  (Anthony's age in 3 years will be 2 times Marry's age in 3 years)
3m+3 = 2m+6  (substitution)
m = 3
a = 3m = 9<br>
Marry is 3 and Anthony is 9