Q. Ben is \(30\) years old and Daniel is \(2\) years old.How many years will it take until Ben is only \(3\) times as old as Daniel?
Denoting the years: Let's denote the number of years it will take for Ben to be only 3 times as old as Daniel by n. Currently, Ben is 30 years old and Daniel is 2 years old. After n years, Ben will be 30+n years old and Daniel will be 2+n years old. We are looking for the value of n when Ben's age is 3 times Daniel's age.The equation to represent this situation is: 30+n=3(2+n).
Solving the equation: Now we will solve the equation for "n". First, distribute the 3 on the right side of the equation.30+n=3×2+3×n30+n=6+3n
Rearranging the equation: Next, we will rearrange the equation to isolate n on one side. We can do this by subtracting n from both sides and also subtracting 6 from both sides.30+n−n−6=6+3n−n−624=2n
Dividing both sides: Now, we divide both sides by 2 to solve for n.224=22n12=n
Final result: We have found that n equals 12. This means it will take 12 years for Ben to be only 3 times as old as Daniel.
More problems from Solve a system of equations using any method: word problems