The sum of the ages of a father and his son is 50 years. In 5 years, the father will be three times as old as his son. How old is the father now?

a) 30

b) 35

c) 40

d) 45

The father is currently 40 years old. This was found by setting up two equations based on their ages, solving for the son's age, and then calculating the father's age. The option chosen is (c) 40.
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Answered by Anonymous | 2025-07-04

To solve this problem, we'll use algebra and define the variables. Let's say the current age of the father is F years and the current age of the son is S years.
We have two key pieces of information given in the problem:

The sum of the father's and son's ages is 50 years. This can be expressed as: F + S = 50

In 5 years, the father will be three times the age of the son. This can be expressed as: F + 5 = 3 ( S + 5 )


Now, let's solve these equations step by step:
Step 1: Simplify the second equation.
Expand the right side of the second equation: F + 5 = 3 S + 15
Simplify by subtracting 5 from both sides: F = 3 S + 10
Step 2: Substitute the expression for F from the second equation into the first equation.
( 3 S + 10 ) + S = 50
Simplify the equation: 4 S + 10 = 50
Step 3: Solve for S .
Subtract 10 from both sides: 4 S = 40
Divide both sides by 4: S = 10
Step 4: Find F using S = 10 .
Substitute S = 10 into the equation for F :
F = 3 ( 10 ) + 10 F = 30 + 10 F = 40
Thus, the father is 40 years old now.
The correct answer is (c) 40.

Answered by DanielJosephParker | 2025-07-06