A person was asked to state his age in years. His reply was, "take my age…
2014
A person was asked to state his age in years. His reply was, "take my age three years hence, multiply it by 3 and then subtract three times my age three years ago and you will know how old I am." What was the age of the person?
- A.
18 years
- B.
20 years
- C.
24 years
- D.
32 years
Attempted by 36 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Step 1: Set up the equation: Let the person's current age be x.
'Age three years hence' is x+3 and 'age three years ago' is x-3. The statement translates to the equation 3(x+3) - 3(x-3) = x.
Step 2: Solve the equation:
Distribute: 3(x+3) - 3(x-3) = 3x + 9 - (3x - 9)
Remove parentheses: 3x + 9 - 3x + 9 = x
Combine like terms: 18 = x
Conclusion: x = 18
Therefore, the person's age is 18 years.