How to Solve Age Problems Part 3

By Civil Service Reviewer
on Mar 21, 2014
in Math Word Problems, Mathematics, Tutorials

This is the third part of the Solving Age Problems Series. In this part, we will solve age problems with a variety of formats and difficulty that are not discussed in the first two parts. We have already solved six problems in the first and second part, so we start with the seventh problem.

Example 7

Bill is four times as old as Carol. One fifth of Bill’s age added to one half Carol’s age is equal to $13$ years. How old are both of them?

Scratch work

Bill is older than Carol and he is four times older. This means that if Carol is $x$ years old, then Bill is $4x$ years old. Now, one fifth of Bill’s age is $\frac{1}{5}(4x)$ and one half of Carol’s age is $\frac{1}{2}x$ . Add these together and you get $13$ . Now, we have an equation.

Solution

Let $x$ be Carol’s age and $4x$ be Bill’s age.

$\frac{1}{5}(4x) + \frac{1}{2}x = 13$ .

Simplifying, we have

$\frac{4}{5}x + \frac{1}{2}x = 13$ .

Since we have a fraction, we can eliminate the denominator by multiplying everything with the least common multiple of $5$ and $2$ which is $10$ . Multiplying both sides of the equation by $10$ , we have

$\displaystyle \frac{40}{5}x + \frac{10}{2}x = 130$ .

$\displaystyle 8x + 5x = 130$

$13x = 130$

$x = 10$ .

This means that Carol is $10$ and Bill is $40$ .

Check

Bill is $40$ and Carol is $10$ . Yes, Bill is four times as old as Carol. One fifth of $40$ is $8$ . One half of $10$ is $5$ and $8 + 5 = 13$ . So, we are correct.

Example 8

When a really smart math kid was asked about his age, he said:

“I am one fifth as old as my mother. In six years, I will be one-third as old.”

How old is the kid and his mother?

Scratch Work

The kids is one fifth as old as his mother. So, if the mother is $x$ years old, then the kid is $\frac{1}{5}x$ Six years from now, the ages of the mother and the kid respectively are $x + 6$ and $\frac{1}{5}x + 6$ as shown in the table below.

As the kid said, in $6$ years, his age will be a third of his mother. This means that if we multiply his age by $latex3$, then it will equal the age of his mother. In equation form, we have

$3(\frac{1}{5}x + 6) = x + 6$ .

Now, we write the solution.

Solution

Let $x$ be the mother’s age and $\frac{1}{5}x$ be the kid’s age.

$x + 6 = 3(\frac{1}{5}x + 6)$

We simplify the right hand side by Distributive Property. This gives us

$x + 6 = \frac{3}{5}x + 18$

Now, to eliminate the fraction, we multiply both sides of the equation by $5$ .

$5(x + 6) = 3x + 90$

Again, by distributive property, we have

$5x + 30 = 3x + 90$

Putting all the x’s on the left hand side and all the numbers on the right hand side, we have

$5x - 3x = 90 - 30$

$2x = 60$

$x = 30$ .

So, the mother and $30$ and the kid is $\frac{1}{5}(30) = 6$ . A smart kid indeed, giving problems such as this at age 6.

Check

Left as an exercise.

Example 9

Donna is $6$ years older than Demi. One fifth of Donna’s age a year ago added to three fourth of Demi’s age is equal to Demi’s age. How old is Donna?

Scratch Work

Demi is $x$ years old and Donna is $x + 6$ . Now, Donna’s age a year a go is $x + 6 - 1$ which is equal to $x + 5$ . How, one fifth of Donna’s age a year ago is $\frac{1}{5}(x+5)$ and one fourth of Demi’s age is $\frac{1}{4}x$ .

Now, these ages if added equal’s Donna’s age which is $x$ . Therefore, the equation is

$\frac{1}{5}(x + 5) + \frac{3}{4}x = x$

Solution

Let $x$ be Demi’s age and $x + 6$ be Donna’s age

$\frac{1}{5}(x +5) + \frac{3}{4}x = x$

Simplifying, the left hand side by distributive property, we have

$\frac{1}{5}x + 1 + \frac{3}{4}x = x$ .

Now, to eliminate the fractions, we multiply both sides of the equation by the least common multiple of $5$ and $4$ which is $20$ . This will result to

$\frac{20}{5}x + 20 + \frac{60}{4}x = 20x$

$4x + 20 + 15x = 20x$

$19x + 20 = 20x$

$20 = x$

Therefore, Demi is $20$ and Donna is $26$ .

Check: Left as an exercise.

Tags: age algebra problems, age problem solving, age problems, how to solve age problems, solving age problems

5 Comments

OMS
July 29, 2018

Ang sabi is Donna’s age “a year ago” so dapat meron minus 1 sa formula.

- Jhomar Montero
  October 10, 2018
  
  you’re right, even item no. 8 is off, one third is 1/3 so it should be 1/3 of not 3 times of
  
- ray
  January 31, 2019
  
  bakit naging 3/4x ang 1/4x? of demi’s age.
  
Ellalala
July 2, 2019

parang mas nalito ako sa example no. 8

bali same same muna,,

Now:
Child = 1/5 (X)
mother = x
6 years from now:
Child = 1/5 (x) +6
mother = x+6

tapos.. yung a third kinemerut in 6 years
ganito.

1/3 (x + 6)

so bali

1/5 (x) + 6 = 1/3 (x + 6)
3x + 90 = 5x + 30
60 = 2x
30 = x

mother: 30
child: 6

checking:
6 years from now
mother: 36
child: 12

12/36 = 1/3

ayan, o mas magulo haha

Lol
March 11, 2020

Lol where did the fck 3/4 come from when it says its 1/4? From number 9?