4/19/2019 "Age" Word Problems 4/19/2019 "Age" Word Problems

This exercise refers not only to their present ages, but also to both their ages last year and their ages in three years, so
In January of the year 2000, I was one more than eleven times as old as my son William. In January of 2009, I was seven more than
three times as old as him. How old was my son in January of 2000? m" and his grandfather's present age
labelling will be very important. I will label Miguel's present age as "

Obviously, in "real life" you'd have walked up to my kid and and asked him how old he was, and he'd have proudly held up three grubby as "g". Then m + g = 68. Miguel's age "last year" was m – 1. His grandfather's age
fingers, but that won't help you on your homework. Here's how you'd figure out his age for class: "in three more years" will be g + 3. The grandfather's "age three years from now" is
First, namethings and translate the English into math: Let "E " stand for my age in 2000, and six times Miguel's "age last year" or, in math:
let "W " stand for William's age. Then E = 11W + 1 in the year 2000 (from "eleven times as
much, plus another one"). In the year 2009 (nine years after the year 2000), William and I g + 3 = 6(m – 1)
will each be nine years older, so our ages will be E + 9 and W + 9. Also, I was seven more This gives me two equations with two variables:
than three times as old as William was, so E + 9 = 3(W + 9) + 7 = 3W + 27 + 7 = 3W + 34.
This gives you two equations, each having two variables:
m + g = 68
g + 3 = 6(m – 1)
E = 11W + 1
E + 9 = 3W + 34 m = 68 – g. (Note: It's okay to solve for "g = 68 – m", too. The
Solving the first equation, I get
problem will work out a bit differently in the middle, but the answer will be the same
If you know how to solve
systems of equations, you can proceed with those techniques. at the end.) I'll plug "68 – g" into the second equation in place of "m":
Otherwise, you can use the first equation to simplify the second: since E = 11W + 1, plug
"11W + 1 " in for "E " in the second equation:
g + 3 = 6m – 6

E + 9 = 3W + 34 g + 3 = 6(68 – g) – 6

(11W + 1) + 9 = 3W + 34 g + 3 = 408 – 6g – 6

11W – 3W = 34 – 9 – 1 g + 3 = 402 – 6g

8W = 24 g + 6g = 402 – 3

W=3 7g = 399
g = 57
W; it asked for the age of a person. So the
Remember that the problem did not ask for the value of the variable
answer is: William was three years old in January of 2000. g" stands for the grandfather's current age, then the grandfather is 57 years
Since "
old. Since m + g = 68, then m = 11, and Miguel is presently eleven years old.
The important steps above were to set up the variables,
labelling them all clearly with their definitions, and
then to increment the variables by the required amount (in this case, by 9) to reflect the One-half of Heather's age two years from now plus one-third of her age three
passage of time. Don't try to use the same expression to stand for two different things. If years ago is twenty years. How old is she now?
"E " stands for my age in 2000, then "E " can not also stand for my age in 2009. Make sure This problem refers to Heather's age two years in the future and three years in the past. So I'll pick a variable and label
that you are very explicit about this when you set up your equations; write down the two everything clearly:
sets of information (our ages at the first time, and then our ages at the second time) as two
distinct situations. age now: H
age two years from now: H + 2
In three more years, Miguel's grandfather will be six times as old as Miguel age three years ago: H – 3
was last year. When Miguel's present age is added to his grandfather's present Now I need certain fractions of these ages:
age, the total is 68. How old is each one now? Copyright © Elizabeth Stapel 2000-2011
All Rights Reserved

https://www.purplemath.com/modules/ageprobs.htm 1/3 https://www.purplemath.com/modules/ageprobs.htm 2/3

4/19/2019 "Age" Word Problems

one-half of age two years from now: ( 1/2 )(H + 2) = H/2 + 1

one-third of age three years ago: ( 1/3 )(H – 3) = H/3 – 1

The sum of these two numbers is twenty, so I'll add them and set this equal to 20:

H/ + 1 + H/3 – 1 = 20
2
H/ + H/3 = 20
2
3H + 2H = 120
5H = 120
H = 24

Heather is 24 years old.

Note: Remember that you can always check your answer to any "solving" exercise by plugging that answer back into the original
24 now, then she will be 26 in two years, half of which is 13, and she
problem. If Heather is
was 21 three years ago, a third of which is 7. Adding, I get 13 + 7 = 20, so the solution
works.

https://www.purplemath.com/modules/ageprobs.htm 3/3
4/19/2019 "Age" Word Problems 4/19/2019 "Age" Word Problems

"Here lies Diophantus," the wonder behold . . . .d/6 + d/12 + d/7 + 5 + d/2 + 4 = d
Through art algebraic, the stone tells how old:
"God gave him his boyhood one-sixth of his life, ( 25/28 )d + 9 = d
One twelfth more as youth while whiskers grew rife;
And then yet one-seventh ere marriage begun; 9 = d – ( 25/28 )d
In five years there came a bouncing new son.
9 = ( 3/28 )d
Alas, the dear child of master and sage
After attaining half the measure of his fathers life 84 = d
chill fate took him.
After consoling his fate by this science of numbers Diophantus lived to be 84 years old.
for four years, he ended his life."
84" into the original problem. If he lived to be 84, then
You can check the answer if you like, by plugging "
Find Diophantus' age at death. one-sixth of his life is 14 years, one-twelfth of his life is 7 years (so he'd be 21, and he
certainly should have a beard by this age), one-seventh of his life is 12 years (so he didn't
My first task is to "translate" the poetry from the headstone into practical terms: marry until he was 33 years old), his child was born when he was 38, the boy died
"Boyhood" can stand for pre-adolscent childhood; he spent one-sixth of his at 42 (when Diophantus was 80), and then Diophantus died four years later.
life in this period. Copyright © Elizabeth Stapel 2000-2011 All Rights Reserved
Always try to label your variables and expressions clearly, as this will go a long way toward helping you get your equations set up
"Youth while whiskers grew" can stand for pubescence (the teenage years, correctly. And remember that you can always check your answers (like I did on the last example above); checking your answers is an
especially good idea on tests.
into young adulthood); he spent one-twelfth of his life in this period.
"Ere marriage began" can stand for "unmarried adulthood" or
"bachelorhood"; he spent one-seventh of his life in this period.
He had five years between the wedding and the time his first child was born.
Tragically, this child died young, living only half as long as his father
eventually would; looked at the other way, half of Diophantus' life was spent
while his child was alive.
Diophantus died four years after burying his child.
I will let d stand for Diophantus' age at death. Then:

childhood:
d/
6
adolescence: d/12

bachelorhood: d/7

childless marriage: 5
age of child at death: d/2
life after child's death: 4
His whole life had been divided into intervals which, when added together, give the sum of his life. So I'll add the lengths of
those periods, set their sum equal to his (as-yet unknown) total age, and solve:

https://www.purplemath.com/modules/ageprobs2.htm 1/2 https://www.purplemath.com/modules/ageprobs2.htm 2/2