AGE PROBLEMS
1. One boy is 8 years older than his sister. How old are they if the sum of their ages is 28?
Boy = x+8 x+x+8 = 28 10,18
Sister = x 2x = 20
x = 10
2. A certain family has three girls. Gertrude is 3 years older than Jackie, and Isabelle is five years older than Jackie. How old are Jackie, Gertrude, and Isabelle if the sum of their ages is 35?
Gert. = x+3 x+x+3+x+5 = 35 9,12,14
Jackie = x 3x+8 = 35
Isab. = x+5 3x = 27
x = 9
3. Theadora is twice as old as Isydore. How old are they if the sum of their ages is 72?
Theo. = 2x x+2x = 72 24,48
Isyd. = x 3x = 72
x = 24
4. Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a few pails of water. Jack is three times as old as Jill. How old are they if their ages total 16?
Jack = 3x 3x+x = 16 4,12
Jill = x 4x = 16
x = 4
5. Old Mother Hubbard is five times as old as her poor dog who didn’t have one single bone. The cupboard was bare you know. How old is the little creature if the sum of their ages is 54?
O.M.H. = 5x 5x+x = 54 9,45
Dog = x 6x = 54
x = 9
6. Frick and Frack are cousins. Frick is three times as old as Frack. Twelve years from now, Frick will only be twice as old as Frack. How old are they now?
| Now| Future | 3x +12 = 2(x+12) Frick = 36
| Frick | 3x | 3x +12 | 3x +12 = 2x + 24 Frack = 12
| Frack | x | x +12 | 3x -2x = 24 -12
x = 12
7. Little Miss Muffet was ten times as old as the spider who sat next to her when she was on her tuffet. Four years later she was only 7 times as old as the spider. How old is the creepy spider who liked curds and whey?
| Now | 4 yrs later | 10x + 4 = 7(x+4) Little Miss = 80
Little Miss Muffett | 10x | 10x + 4 | 10x +4 = 7x +28 Spider = 8
Spider | x | x + 4 | 3x = 24
x = 8
8. Mary had a little lamb. She was twice as old as the white-faced animal. Six years before, she was three times as old. How old are the two little darlings now?
| Now / 6 years past 2x - 6 = 3(x-6) Mary = 24
Mary / 2x / 2 x - 6 2x - 6 = 3x - 18 Lamb = 6
Lamb / x / x - 6 -6 = x - 18
12 = x