Carol is five times as old as her brother. She will be three times asold as her brother in two yrs.How old is carol now?
c = 5b
c+2 = 3(b+2)
c+2 = 3(c/5 + 2)
c+2 = 3c/5 + 6
2c/5 = 4
c = 4*5/2
c = 10
Check:
Carol is now 10, brother is 2
in two years,
Carol is 12, brother is 4
To solve this problem, let's break it down step by step:
Let's define Carol's age as "C" and her brother's age as "B".
We are given two pieces of information:
1. Carol is five times as old as her brother:
C = 5B
2. In two years, Carol will be three times as old as her brother:
C + 2 = 3(B + 2)
We need to find Carol's current age, so we'll solve these equations.
From equation 1:
C = 5B
Substitute C in equation 2 with 5B:
5B + 2 = 3(B + 2)
Distribute the multiplication:
5B + 2 = 3B + 6
Combine like terms:
5B - 3B = 6 - 2
2B = 4
Divide both sides by 2:
B = 2
Now, we know that Carol's brother is 2 years old.
Using equation 1, substitute B with 2:
C = 5(2)
C = 10
Therefore, Carol is currently 10 years old.