Answer:
To answer this question, we need to set up an equation that represents the relationship between Mike's age and his father's age.
Currently, Mike is 12 years old and his father is 38 years old. We want to find out in how many years (let's call this "x") the father will be twice as old as Mike.
We can express this relationship as follows:
Father's future age = Mike's future age * 2
In terms of their current ages and the unknown number of years, x, this becomes:
(38 + x) = 2 * (12 + x)
This is a simple linear equation that we can solve for x.
First, distribute the 2 on the right side of the equation:
38 + x = 24 + 2x
Then, subtract x from both sides to get all x terms on one side:
38 = 24 + x
Finally, subtract 24 from both sides to solve for x:
x = 38 - 24
x = 14
So, in 14 years, Mike's father will be twice as old as Mike.