Two-condition age puzzle (father and son): Solve simultaneous relations to find the son's age. Now: Father's age = 3 × son's age. Five years ago: Father's age = 4 × son's age. Find the son's present age (in years). Choose the correct value.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: 15

Explanation:


Let
Son = s, Father = 3s.


Translate the past condition
Five years ago: (3s − 5) = 4(s − 5).


Solve
3s − 5 = 4s − 20 ⇒ −5 + 20 = 4s − 3s ⇒ s = 15.


Check
Now: Father = 45, Son = 15. Five years ago: 40 and 10 ⇒ 40 = 4 × 10 ✔

More Questions from Arithmetic Reasoning

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion