I want a bicycle
“Mother, I wish you would give me a bicycle,” said a girl of twelve the other day. “I do not think you are old enough yet, my dear,” was the reply. “When I am only three times as old as you are you shall have the one.” Now, the mother’s age is forty-six years. At what age will the young girl expect to receive her present?
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1 solution
Let x be the number of years from now when the mother will be three times as old as the young girl. Then
4 6 + x = 3 ( 1 2 + x )
4 6 + x = 3 6 + 3 x
4 6 − 3 6 = 3 x − x
1 0 = 2 x
x = 5
Therefore, the young girl will expect to receive the bicycle when she will be 1 2 + 5 = 1 7 years old.