Question

This year, the sum of Mr Bellini’s age and his son’s age is 28 years. 4years ago, Mr Bellini was 5 times as old as his son

(A) How old is his son this year?
(B) How old is Mr Bellini this year?

Answer 1

Let x = son's age

Let 38-x = Mr. Bellini's age (since the sum of their ages must be equal to 38)

Set up the equation using the second statement:

(38 - x) - 4 = 5(x - 4)

Solving,

34 - x = 5x - 20

34 + 20 = 6x

54 = 6x

x = 9 years old (son's age)

38-x = 29 years old (Bellini's age)