QR - age problems inquiry

[hpets]

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I have serious math deficiencies. I can do those stupid age word problems with two people, but when then toss in another person, i'm all @(#$*&(#*!??? Has anyone seen a three person variable age problem, or is it mainly two (and DAT achiever is just being an overachieving studying guide)?

blahhhhh.

 

[apaul]

i saw a 3 person one on mine so it'd be good to pick up on it, I just wrote down the three persons initials like this
T
B
M
5 times and picked on of the answers and plugged them all in and checked to see if I should go higher or lower, does that make sense? If your math deficient like me, this way might help out and doesnt take much time and you'll get it right everytime

 

[hpets]

hey apaul, what exactly do you mean by:
t
b
m

thanks your time!

 

[apaul]

the peoples name
Tom
Bob
Mary
and then i pieced it together with the word problem using the answers
so if tom is 5 years older than bob . . . . etc etc

 

[asckwan]

One way that helps me is to write them all down in a one person perspective. For example if it says Tom is 3 years older than Mary. Mary is twice the age of Bob, I would start by putting everyone in Tom's prospective.

T = x
M = x-3
Bob = 2(x-3)

I know it's an easier question, but most of the ones I see aren't much more than this. I hope that helps!

 

[hpets]

thanks for the advice guys. the next time i see an age problem i will try it, for now i am going to take break! 👍

 

[tinman831]

One way that helps me is to write them all down in a one person perspective. For example if it says Tom is 3 years older than Mary. Mary is twice the age of Bob, I would start by putting everyone in Tom's prospective.

T = x
M = x-3
Bob = 2(x-3)

I know it's an easier question, but most of the ones I see aren't much more than this. I hope that helps!

This is the method you have to use when you encounter age problems. For every bit of information they give you, set up an algebraic formula. If they say that Bob is twice Mary's age, then 2*Bob = Mary.... and keep doing this. Then solve for the unknowns.

 

[hpets]

ah okay, here's a problem and i still don't know how to solve it:

Steve is twice as old as Sylvie. Sylvie is three years older than Jacob. 4
years ago, Sylvie was twice Jacob’s age. How old is Sylvie?

ans: Steve is 20, Sylvie is 10 and Jacob is 7

 

[hpets]

x-4 = 2(x-3-4)
x=10

nm, i figured it out after severallll trials. how did you guys set it up using your methods?

 

[asckwan]

In this case since it's centered on Sylvie (we'll call her Y), I put it all in terms of Sylvie. (usually they focus more on one particular person, so I will put it in that person's prospective.)

So we have Steve (T), Sylvie (Y), and Jacob (J).

Y=.5T
Y=J+3
Y-4=2(J-4) this one is a bit tricky since you need to remember that J was also 4 years younger thus J-4

So substitute J+3 for Y in the third equation and you get J+3-4=2(J-4) and you can get Jacob's age easily. Then just plug and chug!! YAY!

Was that an alright explanation?

 

[hpets]

it helps, thanks! ahh but still every time i read one of these problems it seriously confuses the heck outta me.