The ages of a father and son are in the ratio of 8:3. If the farther is 48, how old is the son?
fathers age ---- 8x
son's age ----- 3x
but 8x = 48
x = 6
so the son is 18
or , just using a ratio ....
48/s = 8/3
8s = 144
s = 144/8 =18
To find the age of the son, we first need to calculate the common ratio between the ages of the father and son.
The given ratio is 8:3, which represents the father's age to the son's age. We know that the father's age is 48.
To determine the common ratio, we can set up a proportion using the given information:
8/3 = 48/x
To solve for x, we can cross-multiply:
8x = 48 * 3
8x = 144
Next, we divide both sides of the equation by 8 to isolate x:
x = 144/8
x = 18
Therefore, the son is 18 years old.