Answer:
Moe's present age = 32
Zach's present age = 24
Explanations:
Let Moe's present age be represented by m
Let Zach's present age be represented by z
Moe is 8 years older than Zach now
m = z + 8..........(1)
Twenty years ago, Moe's age would be m - 20
Twenty years ago, Zach's age would be z - 20
Twenty years ago, Moe's age was three times that of Zach
m - 20 = 3(z - 20)
m - 20 = 3z - 60
m = 3z - 60 + 20
m = 3z - 40..........(2)
Let equations (1) and (2) be equal to each other:
z + 8 = 3z - 40
3z - z = 8 + 40
2z = 48
z = 48 / 2
z = 24
Substitute the value of z into equation (1)
m = z + 8
m = 24 + 8
m = 32
Moe's present age = 32
Zach's present age = 24