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Carol is 3 times as old as John today. Twenty years ago, Carol was five times as old as John. What is John's age?

User Sam Stern
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Final answer:

To determine John's age, we create two equations based on the given information: C = 3J and C - 20 = 5(J - 20). Solving these equations algebraically reveals that John is 40 years old.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question presented involves solving an algebraic problem related to the ages of Carol and John. We need to establish two equations based on the information given:

Carol is 3 times as old as John today.

Twenty years ago, Carol was five times as old as John.

Let's define Carol's current age as C and John's current age as J.

From the first piece of information, we have the equation: C = 3J.

From the second piece of information, we can write: C - 20 = 5(J - 20).

Substitute the first equation into the second to have one equation with one unknown:

3J - 20 = 5J - 100

Now we solve for John's age:

100 - 20 = 5J - 3J

80 = 2J

J = 40

Therefore, John's current age is 40 years old.

User Arman Ordookhani
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