ALGEBRA WORKSHEET SOLUTION

9. B

My age: x

My brother is 3 years older than me: x + 3

My father is 3 less than 2 times my age: 2x – 3

My father’s age divided by 5 is equal to my brother’s age divided by 3: (2x – 3) / 5 = (x + 3) / 3

By cross multiplication:

5(x + 3) = 3(2x – 3)

5x + 15 = 6x – 9

x = 24

My father’s age: 2.24 – 3= 48 – 3 = 45

10. C
There are two fractions containing x and the denominators are different. First, let us find a
common denominator to simplify the expression. The least common multiplier of 4 and 7 is 28.
Then,

7(x – 2) / 28 – 4(3x + 5) / 28 = – 3.28 / 28 … Since both sides are written on the denominator 28
now, we can eliminate them:

7(x – 2) – 4(3x + 5) = – 84

7x – 14 – 12x – 20 = – 84

– 5x = – 84 + 14 + 20

– 5x = – 50

x = 50/5

x = 10

11. B

We can follow outside to inside method to solve this type of problems. x is in the inner part of
this fraction; then, we need to narrow the circle to reach x:

1 / (1 + 1 / (1 – 1/x)) = 4
This means that (1 + 1 / (1 – 1/x)) is equal to 1/4. Then,

1 + 1 / (1 – 1/x) = 1/4

1 / (1 – 1/x) = 1/4 – 1

1 / (1 – 1/x) = – 3/4

This means that 1 – 1/x = – 4/3. Then,

1 – 1/x = – 4/3

1 + 4/3 = 1/x

1/x = 7/3

So, x = 3/7.