Final answer:
The problem is solved by setting up an equation where the current age of the younger ship is y years, and the combined age is 12 years. Solving the equation reveals that the younger ship is 4 years old, and the older ship is 8 years old currently.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks for the present age of two ships where the combined age is 12 years and two years ago the age of the older ship was three times that of the younger ship. To solve this, let the present age of the younger ship be y years. Since the combined age is 12 years, the present age of the older ship is 12 - y years.
According to the second piece of information, two years ago, the older ship's age was three times the younger ship's age at that time. Therefore, we can write the following equation subtracting 2 years from their present ages:
(12 - y) - 2 = 3(y - 2)
Rearranging the terms gives us:
12 - y - 2 = 3y - 6
Combining like terms and solving for y leads us to:
10 - y = 3y - 6
Add y to both sides:
10 = 4y - 6
Then, add 6 to both sides:
16 = 4y
Divide by 4:
y = 4
So the younger ship is 4 years old, and the older ship is 12 - 4 = 8 years old.