Ellen is 11 years older than Maja. Last year Ellen was twice as old as Maja. How old is Maja now?
Maja's age now --- x
Ellen's age now ---- x+11
last year, Maja --- x-1
last year, Ellen ---- x+10
x+10 = 2(x-1)
x+10 = 2x - 2
-x = -12
x = 12
Maja is now 12 years old
check:
now:
Maja = 12
Ellen = 23
last year:
Maja --- 11
Ellen --- 22
was Ellen twice as old as Maja ? YES
To solve this problem, we can set up an equation based on the given information. Let's assume Maja's current age is represented by "x" years.
According to the problem, Ellen is 11 years older than Maja, so Ellen's current age is (x + 11) years.
Last year, Maja's age was (x - 1) years, and Ellen's age was [(x + 11) - 1] years, which is (x + 10) years.
The problem states that last year, Ellen was twice as old as Maja, so we can set up the equation:
(x + 10) = 2(x - 1)
Now, let's solve this equation and find the value of x, which represents Maja's current age:
x + 10 = 2x - 2
x - 2x = -2 - 10
-x = -12
x = 12
Therefore, Maja is currently 12 years old.